


Where Do We Go From Here

by iwantafarnsworth, T_Rahz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Canon divergence from 2.05, F/F, Sanvers - Freeform, Set after 2.05, Slow Burn, fight against Cadmus, no mon-el
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:16:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8516383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwantafarnsworth/pseuds/iwantafarnsworth, https://archiveofourown.org/users/T_Rahz/pseuds/T_Rahz
Summary: This is set immediately after Alex leaves the bar in 2.05.Alex comes to terms with the fact that she's gay and shares it with the most important person in her life, Kara, before going after the woman who started it all in the first place.





	1. Sisters are the best therapists

**Author's Note:**

> My girlfriend and I fell off the fanfic writing wagon a few bruised ships ago but WayHaught was able to reignite that spark for us earlier this year and Supergirl has just been fanning the flames with these last few episodes. We've not co-written anything since Bering & Wells (the fandom that brought us together in the first place) so we're pretty psyched to finally co-write (kinda) again.  
> We've shared some ideas about Alex and Maggie over the past few days and finally buckled down to writing this yesterday. We wanted to portray a more fluid, organic, natural evolution of Alex and Maggie's relationship so this might be a bit of a slow burn.
> 
> Additionally!! Since we both suffer from severe fic abandonment syndrome (sorry previous fic followers) we wanted to get a lot of this written before starting to post. As such, chapters 1 and 2 are already complete and 3 is on the way. 
> 
> And with that I will shut up now and let you read on. 
> 
> Most (if not all) errors are mine since she's the most perfect writer ever and I'm always too impatient to post so sometimes tend to do so before she can proof it completely (sorry Amore!)
> 
> We own nothing but love every single character on this show as if they were our own.

Walking out of the bar that night, Alex felt so many mixed emotions but the one that really outshone the others was relief. She felt renewed in a sense, almost as if she had been finally awakened. There was still so much she had to figure out, but for once, she felt like she was where she was meant to be. She whipped out her cellphone and called Kara. It was time she finished that conversation she had started with her sister earlier. Kara answered on the first ring, the sound of the wind whooshing in the background. She could tell that her sister was flying around up there. Instinctively, she looked up to the sky.

“Hey sis, what’s up?” her chirpy voice greeted Alex.

“Hey Kara, you free tomorrow morning?”

“Yep, whats up? Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. Meet me in the park for coffee?”

“Sure, usual spot?”

“Usual spot. See you tomorrow, Kara. Love you.”

“Love you too, Alex. Bye!”

They disconnected the call and Alex continued on her way home. A definite spring to her step that wasn’t entirely there before today.

The next morning she met Kara at their spot in the park with a tray of Kara’s highly coveted pumpkin spice latte and an Americano for herself. Dangling from her wrist was a bag containing a box filled with sticky buns for her sister.

“Oooooh, why are you feeding me this much?! What’s wrong?” Kara asked, trying to sound suspicious but really just coming off as delighted as she grabbed her coffee and the entire box of sticky buns.

“Can’t I just bond with my sister?” Alex responded trying to dispel her sister’s suspicions and calm her own nerves. She was excited to share this with Kara but couldn’t help the bit of trepidation that crept into her resolve.

Kara, knowing something was up with her sister, gave Alex a sidelong glance, willing her to say what was on her mind.

“There is something I kinda wanted to talk to you about.” Alex began, looking across to Kara before looking away, off into the distance. “You know how when we were growing up I never really dated much or never really had a boyfriend? And then as I got older and went off to college I kinda stopped dating altogether?”

Kara nodded, not interjecting verbally, sensing that her sister needed the space to carry on.

“Well I always figured that that just wasn’t for me, you know? Like maybe I was meant for something, some other purpose, that didn’t allow room for dating and romance and all that. And I found that purpose at the DEO, something to ground me, excite me, challenge me both mentally and physically. But I still felt like something just wasn’t right, you know?”

Kara nodded again and Alex locked eyes with her, needing to feel that connection as she continued on.

“Something happened, Kara, or rather has been happening, gosh I don’t even know _what_ ’s been happening. But it’s led me to a realisation about myself that I, I hadn’t even considered before,” her voice softened and her eyes shone with the unshed tears that were pooling there, “but it just… it just finally feels so right! Like yes! This is what’s been missing all along. And I’m terrified and excited and nervous and oh God I’m just such a mess. But a strangely happy mess.” She smiled as the tears began rolling down her cheeks, realising that Kara had also started crying.

“What are you saying Alex?” Kara asked cautiously, still unsure of where exactly her sister was going with this but having a fair idea. Alex returned her still full coffee cup to the tray and held Kara’s somewhat sticky hand in her own, hoping she could find the words to say what she couldn’t quite voice to Maggie last night.

“I think I might be..” she looked away briefly before looking at Kara again, “no, I’m pretty sure that I, that I…” she gulped and looked away, not sure of where this sudden bout of fear was coming from. This was Kara for heaven’s sake, the person who accepted her no matter what. The person whose dying wish was for Alex to find love. The person who she could bare her soul to and not be afraid of judgement. Kara was _her_ _person_. The Christina Yang to her Meredith Grey. If she couldn’t tell Kara, then she’d never be able to say it. Ever. She shut her eyes momentarily, the weight of it all creasing deeply between her eyebrows. She steeled her resolve and opened her eyes again, capturing Kara’s instantly and drawing strength from her Kryptonian sister.

“Kara, I, I...Jesus,” she swore exasperatedly, “Kara I’m gay.”

Kara remained silently looking at Alex, her face expressionless for a beat. Alex’s eyes went wide, immediately assuming that she had read her sister wrong in believing she wouldn’t have a problem with this. She was about to apologise when Kara’s expression broke into an ear-to-ear grin. She literally squealed before pouncing on Alex and locking her in a bone-crunching hug which Alex didn’t have the heart to protest with the level of relief she was feeling at her sister’s unbridled acceptance.

“Omigod omigod omigod omigod omigod!!!! Alex!! OH. MY. GOD!!!” Alex’s grin rivaled Kara’s as both sisters reveled in the moment.

“It’s about time you figured it out!” Kara burst out before clamping her hands over her mouth.

“Wait what?” Alex asked, confusion and surprise written over her face.

“Come on Alex, I may be daft at times, but I’m not THAT oblivious!” Kara grinned.

“What? How?? I didn’t even realise it until less than 24 hours ago! And I’m a special agent for an elite government crime-fighting agency. How did you know?”

“Little sister’s intuition.” Kara responded cheekily, wiggling her eyebrows at Alex before another thought hit her.

“Wait, if you didn’t realise it before, what changed? What triggered it? OH MY GOD ALEX! Did you meet someone? Have I met her? Oh my god!!” Kara could barely contain her excitement at this point, pacing infront the park bench as she racked her brain.

Alex smiled and shook her head at her sister, convinced that Kara definitely had some percentage of puppy genes in her DNA; something she’d have to analyse Kara’s genome for the next time she was in the lab.

“There might, may be someone.” Alex responded quietly, already feeling her face heating up at the mere thought of Maggie.

Kara stopped pacing and looked at her directly now. Alex was visibly blushing. Her normally stoic unreadable sister was rapidly turning from shades of pink to vibrant red in a matter of seconds. Kara sat next to her and took her sister’s hands in hers, much in the same way Alex had taken hers earlier.

“Is she someone I’ve met?” Kara asked again, quietly this time.

Alex tilted her head slightly and looked sideways at Kara, her lips curving into a slight smirk, “no, she’s not someone you’ve met…..but Supergirl has,” she smiled fully now.

Kara didn't have to rack her brain for long this time before she knew.

“Detective Sawyer?” She asked. Alex nodded in confirmation, still smiling at the reality of this revelation.

Kara was positively beaming. “She’s perfect.” There was still so much she wanted to ask Alex about her relationship with the detective, but for now she just wanted to share in this moment with her sister. She moved closer and snuggled into Alex’s embrace. The interrogation would come later. Alex placed a soft kiss atop Kara’s head and looked to the sky, praying a silent prayer of gratitude to Rao for this amazing bundle of joy he dropped in her lap eleven years ago.


	2. You make me feel things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex finally finds the courage to go to Maggie's.

_**Two days later...** _

Maggie halted in front of her apartment building and stretched her muscles. She then took a long sip from her water bottle. It was Saturday and she had decided to go for an early run because she needed to clear her head. Maggie was still confused about her ex’s words - which yes they were still hurting, by the way - then there was the incident with the prisoners, but most of all she was still thinking about Alex and what she had said about ‘that’. She sighed. Maggie had tried to keep her distance after Alex’s confession, but she had also missed hearing from the D.E.O agent. Not a call, not a text, nothing. Last time they’d seen each other was at the alien bar, two days ago.

 _Wow, you got it bad,_ _Sawyer_.

She entered her building and went up the stairs in the direction of her apartment. When she reached her floor she paused. Alex Danvers was standing there in front of her door, seemingly lost in thought. When she heard steps she looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Danvers?” She asked, “What are you doing here?”

Alex smiled weakly, “Ehm… Hi. I knocked but you didn’t answer.”

“How do you know where I live?” Maggie asked as she stood beside Alex in front of her own apartment door.

Alex chuckled and rolled her eyes, “I’m D.E.O, remember?”

Maggie shook her head and smiled, “Why did I even ask?” She reached for her keys. “How could I forget.”

Alex blushed but tried to look impassible. Seeing Maggie in her running clothes wasn’t really helping. This woman was doing things to her, to her body.

“Wanna come in?” Maggie asked as she unlocked the main door and gestured for Alex to go inside.

Alex nodded and walked in. “You have a nice place… Cozy… I like it!” Alex said really fast. God, why was she acting like this?

Focus, Danvers, she told herself.

“Thank you.” Maggie tilted her head and observed the other woman. “Do you mind if I grab a quick shower? I won’t be long.”

“No problem.” Alex said and tried to look at everything but at Maggie’s retreating form.

“Shit.” Alex muttered to herself. She sat down at the kitchen counter and tried to come up with a decent explanation to why she was here.

She must have been deep in thought because she didn’t even notice Maggie coming back from her shower. She only noticed a glass of orange juice being placed in front of her. Alex looked up and nodded muttering a small “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m also making a fresh pot of coffee if you’d like.”

Alex smiled, “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Maggie turned and started making coffee.

The detective was wearing a NCPD t-shirt and yoga pants. Her hair was tied up, she looked relaxed and also younger. Alex thought she was stunning.

“So, are you going to tell me what you’re doing here at my place on a Saturday morning?” Maggie asked, curiously.

“I just wanted to say that I’m sorry…” Alex began, “For how I left the other night. I…”

Maggie understood, “Hey, it’s okay, you don’t have to explain.” She said. Alex swallowed hard. Maggie placed two fresh mugs of coffee on the counter in front of her. She sat down opposite of Alex before continuing, “I’ve been there and I know how scary it can be. You can talk to me.” Alex gazed into Maggie’s brown eyes and found nothing but trust and openness. She knew Maggie was not going to judge her. She felt safe.

“Why is it so difficult to even say it out loud?” Alex asked with a small voice that Maggie knew so well.

 Maggie sighed and placed one of her hands on Alex’s. “Everyone deals with it in their own way.”

 Alex nodded and some tears started falling from her eyes. “Oh, God… I’m sorry. I don’t know why...”

 Maggie smiled softly, “Stop apologizing, Danvers, or I’ll kick you out of my house.”

The D.E.O agent sighed.

“Well, all I can say from my experience is that when it happened to me I was scared as hell.” Maggie chuckled bitterly. She didn’t let go of Alex’s hand, though.

“Why?”

“Because I was alone and my siblings couldn't relate at first.” Maggie explained.

“Who helped you then?” Alex wanted to know.

“Someone special. She was my first girlfriend.” Maggie said removing her hand from Alex’s and looking down, “But anyways I was pretty lucky because my siblings accepted me immediately when I finally found the courage to talk to them.”

“Thank you for telling me, Maggie.” Alex whispered.

Maggie shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.

“I told Kara.” Alex confessed. “She’s the only one I told.”

“That’s great.” Maggie’s hand was back on hers, “How did she react?”

“She said she had always known somehow. She was great. Happy, excited. Asked me if there was someone…” Alex explained slowly, avoiding Maggie’s gaze. “... Special.”

“Hmm.” Maggie commented.

“Yeah... ” Alex looked at Maggie but the detective was busy looking into her coffee mug.  
Alex felt a pang in her heart. This was all wrong. Of course, Maggie wasn’t interested and didn’t see them as more than friends.

“Is there?” Maggie finally asked, her brown eyes looking up and capturing the agent’s, “Is there someone?”

Alex swallowed, “Maggie I…” Maggie bit her lip, looking silently at Alex, “When we spend time together, you make me feel things that…” Alex said.

“Alex, I don’t think that’s…” She started as she stood up from her seat and went to sit next to Alex. “Me and you… I mean…”

Alex shook her head apologetically, smiling sadly, “No, it’s perfectly right, I get it. You’re not interested.”

This somehow felt like a flashback from their encounter the other day.

Maggie chuckled, “Can you hear yourself, Danvers?”

Alex bit her lip and closed her eyes.

“Alex?” Maggie asked and Alex looked up a bit surprised at hearing Maggie saying her name.

“Yeah?” She asked.

“It’s not that I am not interested. I just know that this...this realisation is a lot to process for you. And as I told you I am here if you need me.” Maggie began. Alex looked at her curiously. “What I mean is that I don’t… I don’t want to be something, someone you regret.” Maggie said slowly, her own eyes glassy.

 _Oh_ , Alex thought.

Maggie took her hand again and it felt so good for Alex to feel that.

“My ex… when she..when she dumped me, she said pretty bad things about me….some things that I really should work on. And I don’t think that acting on this… whatever this thing between us is, is going to help us. At least not now.” Maggie said, “I’m sorry.”

Alex nodded. Of course she hadn’t thought about Maggie’s side of the story.

“You’re right. I need to understand more about myself. And I’m sorry about what your ex said.” Alex mumbled.

“No need to be. I’m kind of a workaholic.” Maggie chuckled.

“You’re a good detective, Sawyer.” Alex told her.

They shared a silent smile.

“I’m down with being your friend, tho.” Maggie whispered, bumping her shoulder against Alex’s.

Alex smiled. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your feedback! It means a lot.  
> Hopefully you've also enjoyed this second chapter.


	3. Heartbeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maggie comes back to the D.E.O. headquarters with Alex, and the Danvers sisters talk.

It didn’t take long for them to meet up again. Thirty six hours to be precise. At a crime scene this time. A body had been found floating in the fountain downtown and there was evidence of alien weaponry being used. As Alex and the other DEO agents rolled up in their black SUV’s, she noticed Detective Sawyer already at the scene examining the evidence. She automatically smiled at the sight of the other woman.

"What’ve we got here?” She asked walking up to the detective and slipping her blue nitrile gloves on.

“Seems like our ray-gun dealer has some new clients after the previous batch had their brains implode on them last week. Our vic appears to have taken a direct hit with something considerably stronger that a standard issue stun-gun.” Maggie updated the agent, shielding her eyes from the sun as she looked up to Alex from her position where she was squatting on the ground. Alex dropped to mirror her squat and get a closer look at the burn patterns where the victim had been struck.  
“We’ll have to take him back to the lab to run some tests on the body and see if the radiation here matches the previous guns used.” she informed the detective, trying to remain professional as her heart raced at how close their bodies were.

“Wanna ride with me?” she asked instinctively, not ready to part with the woman just yet.  
Maggie smiled, full dimples out, at the invitation to visit the DEO again. “I’m actually here with my bike, but I don’t mind following you back.” She responded, walking towards her bike and grabbing her helmet.

The DEO was buzzing with activity when they entered the facility. There were agents walking around with varying classes of firearms strapped to their person while others navigated a massive intel system on the other side of the command centre. Despite this being her second visit, Maggie was still a bit overwhelmed by its magnificence. Alex quickly relayed some instructions to a few agents who wheeled the body in the direction of what Maggie assumed was the lab, before directing her full attention to the detective.

“Still impressed, huh?” she asked Maggie, who was still soaking in everything that was happening around her.

“How are you NOT always impressed by this place?” she asked, an incredulous look on her face.

Alex laughed slightly before ushering Maggie to the intel end of the command centre where Winn was tapping furiously into his keyboard.

“Winn.” Alex called out to him, trying to get his attention. The man was too engrossed in his work to even notice the agent’s presence.  
“Winn!” She called out a bit louder this time.  
The IT wizard visibly jumped, almost falling off his chair and pulling the keyboard down with him.

“What? What?! Where’s the fire?” He asked confused.

“Jeez, relax. I’d like you to meet Detective Sawyer.” She gestured towards Maggie who had come up to stand beside her.

“Sawyer? As in….. Maggie? Of the, uh, horrible pool skills fame?” He asked, trying to connect the dots out loud before clamping his hands over his mouth. Alex had that deer in headlights look again and Maggie couldn’t help but smirk at her. “Talking about me at work, Danvers?”

“Oh God I am so embarrassed right now,” she shook her head, leading the amused detective away from the command centre, but not before shooting Winn a death glare over her shoulder. She’d deal with him later.

Alex took Maggie in a direction opposite to the med bay where she had been patched up on her last visit to the DEO. To her right there was some kind of pod or ship with delicate fragile-looking wings. Just by looking at it Maggie could tell that it was some kind of alien tech. Instinctively, she walked towards it, not even thinking to ask permission first.

“That’s the pod Ka….uh...Supergirl landed in.” Alex said softly, walking towards the ship and hoping the detective hadn’t ‘detected’ her little slip.

“It’s so beautiful. Is it okay if I touch it?” Maggie asked, her hand already hovering over the delicate Kryptonese-inscribed surface.

“Sure.” Alex responded, her voice sounding softer than she expected. Propelled by some force she wasn’t entirely confident about, Alex raised her hand to the one that Maggie had suspended over the surface of the pod, lowering both their hands slowly and tracing the Kryptonese inscriptions with the detective’s fingers. Maggie’s breath hitched a little at the contact, whether at Alex’s hand on hers or the cool surface beneath her fingers, she wasn’t sure, but the closeness of the taller woman at her side was definitely having an effect on her.

“You know, I’ve been working in the Science Division for a while,” Maggie began, angling her face slightly towards Alex, “and I spend more time with aliens and meta-humans than with regular people, hell I even dated an alien. But I’ve never really been able to see how any of them actually got here from all those different planets. I mean I’ve talked to many of them and they’ve recounted their stories for me in vivid detail, but to actually see, first hand, the ship in which one of them arrived...that’s, it’s...amazing.”

Turning her attention back to the ship, she asked, “Do you know what any of these mean?”

Alex was standing so close to Maggie now that she could feel the warmth radiating from her body. She smiled contentedly, feeling so comfortable with this woman she had only known for a few weeks. She started translating the Kryptonese on the ship for Maggie, barely whispering the technical terms to the shorter woman. Maggie was mesmerised by Alex’s voice and her touch, tempted to lean back against the agent.

“Detective Sawyer, it’s good to see you again,” the voice of J’onn interrupted them from behind. Both women jumped apart as if they had been caught doing something untoward in the small space. Maggie regained her composure quickly and strode towards the man.

“Good to see you as well, Director Henshaw,” she greeted as they shook hands. Alex also walked forward, standing alongside J’onn.

“It’s not often that we partner with local law enforcement but in this case I’m glad we did. You’ve been an asset to these investigations thus far,” he commended her.

“Thank you, sir,” she smiled at his kindness. Maggie wasn’t sure what else to say so before an awkward silence could settle between them she decided to make her exit.

“It was nice seeing the facility again but I really should get back to the precinct, I’ll let you know if anything else comes up and let me know what the lab results say when they come back?” She turned to ask Alex.

“Definitely. Here, I’ll see you out,” the agent offered, glancing quickly to her boss before ushering Maggie in the direction of the exit. On reaching the door Maggie turned on her heels to face Alex who bumped into her at the sudden stop. The taller woman’s arms automatically reached out to steady herself, landing dangerously against the detective’s chest. Both women gasped before Alex’s hands fell away, as if burned by the contact.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” she began to apologise.

“Relax Danvers, don’t worry about it,” Maggie smiled shyly, looking at Alex through her lashes. She was trying to seem unfazed by it but she could already feel her face heating up. Not for the first time, she thanked god for her brown skin, at least that would help hide the colour she was positive was creeping up her neck.

“Anyways, I guess I’ll see you around, Danvers. Don’t forget to call me about the lab results, ‘kay?” She said, moving out the door and towards where her bike was parked. Alex was confused. How could Maggie be so cool and relaxed when she had pretty much groped her inappropriately?! How was she not affected by this when Alex’s heart was palpitating like a jackhammer on crack? She was barely able to form words, only managing a weak “okay bye” as the other woman donned her helmet and cranked up her bike. As the detective rode off, Alex turned and re-entered the DEO. J’onn was waiting for her at the command centre.

“Is there anything you want to talk about, agent Danvers?” He asked directly, not bothering to flourish it with unnecessary pleasantries.

“No, sir.” she responded pointedly, avoiding his gaze.

“No? Nothing about why your heart rate elevates considerably everytime you’re around Detective Sawyer?” he asked, giving her a sharp look.

“I know for a fact that super-hearing is not one of your super powers so there’s no way you can know my heart rate.” she countered, her eyes narrowing to glare at him.

He silently regarded her for a moment before nodding his head and moving to walk off, a slight smile on his lips. He paused at her side to deliver one last comment before striding off.

“I don’t need super-hearing to see the way your pulse is practically jumping out of your neck.” he deadpanned, laughing at Alex’s embarrassed expression as he walked away.

Alex sighed and went to the laboratory. Hopefully focusing her energies there would help keep her mind of the gorgeous detective.

Later that evening she found herself at Kara’s.

While her sister was fixing them a light dinner, Alex was nursing a bottle of beer.

“So aren’t you gonna tell me how the talk with Maggie went?” Kara asked placing dinner on the table and motioning for Alex to start eating. “You still have to introduce me to her, by the way!”

Alex nodded, “I will.”

After some time they began eating and Alex told Kara about her talk with Maggie.

“How did you know exactly?” Alex asked suddenly, “When I told you I was … gay, you said you already knew.”

Kara looked down and then blushed slightly, “Please don’t kill me, okay?”

Alex looked at her suspiciously, “We’ll see about that. How did you know?!”

“Well, when I said that I knew it I didn’t mean that I knew but that I had my suspicions… I never really thought about it, I mean...” Kara said, “When I was younger I used to practice listening for your heartbeat whenever you went out as a way of learning to control my powers.”

“Oh, God… What’s with you guys and heart rates!?” Alex muttered thinking back to what J’onn had said, “How?”

“Please let me explain, Alex. I was 15 and one afternoon I was in my room doing my homework while suddenly I felt your heart rate increasing, I was worried about you, I thought you might be in serious trouble so I listened to what you were doing!”

“You listened to… Kara!” Alex scolded her.

“I listened for one minute and stopped as soon as I knew you were okay!” Kara reassured her.

Alex placed her head in her hands, she remembered that day. She and Beth, her best friend at the time, where writing a report for their science project and thinking back now Alex realised that Beth had been her first crush.

“I didn’t actually remember what happened but…” Kara said, “Well, since then I started noticing you’d get like that every time she was around but then you left for med school and I don’t know… You never talked to me about it.”

Alex blushed, “I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“It’s okay.” Kara reassured her, “I’m sorry I spied on you.”

“It's not like you spied on me, you were only checking my heartbeat.” Alex smiled and rolled her eyes, playfully.

“OMG! I just got an idea!” said Kara suddenly.

“What?”

“Well, since Maggie wants only to be your _friend_ ," Kara began, "which is something I still don’t fully believe, by the way, maybe we should go out and have some fun. Have you ever been to a gay bar?"

"Kara? What are you suggesting?" Alex asked, incredulously. "And of course Maggie only wants to be my friend!"

"Sure" Kara nodded, coyly, "Anyways, you know, you can maybe look around at the NC lesbian population?” Kara proposed, smiling deviously.

Alex wasn’t sure, “I don’t know, Kara…” She said, “What if…?”

“Come on!” Kara said interrupting her, she stood up and took her sister’s hand in hers, “Let’s go look for something nice to wear!”

“What have I gotten myself into?” Alex mumbled to herself as she let her sister drag her into her bedroom.

 


	4. She's family

“What about the blonde in the corner?” Kara suggested, turning to her big sister with a hopeful gaze.

“Nah. She’s obviously waiting for someone.” Alex replied and turned her back to the busy lesbian crowd.

Kara huffed, placing her drink on the counter, “Alex, it’s been almost half an hour and you still didn’t make any move.”

Alex looked around. She felt a bit exposed. Unbeknown to her, she was receiving many appreciative gazes.

“I don’t know…” She took another sip of her drink and finished it.

“Then why are we here?” Kara complained, taking a sip of her drink herself. “I didn’t dress you up as a supermodel to wait around.”

“Because you dragged me here?” Alex commented turning to look at the crowd of women in the bar. Some were dancing, some chatting away at their tables, some were even making out. She wondered how it would feel to bring Maggie here with her. But then...

“Nuh-uh!” Kara scolded her suddenly, “Please don’t tell me you’re thinking about Maggie.”

Alex blushed and looked down at her now empty drink.

“Would you like another drink?” A voice interrupted Alex’s snarky reply to Kara. Alex turned her head and saw a beautiful brunette who was now looking at her expectantly, “It’s on me.”

Alex smiled, “Thank you.” She said nodding.

“I’m Jen, by the way.” The woman said.

“Alex.”

Kara left the two, doing a small silent victory dance, and went to the other side of the counter.

Jen handed Alex her drink and looked at her appreciatively.

“I’ve never seen you around here,” She commented.

Alex chuckled, “This is my first time here.”

“Thought so. I would have remembered someone like you.” Jen flirted, openly checking Alex out. Alex smiled back and took a sip of her drink. She felt good.

They chatted for a bit and then Jen asked Alex if she wanted to find a seat in a more secluded area of the bar to talk. Alex was pleased that the area Jen chose for them to continue their conversation was considerably darker than at the bar.

“Do you come here a lot?” Alex asked, looking around.

They were sitting at a small table in the corner.

Alex could still see the counter but had lost any sign of Kara.

Jen shrugged, “My ex dumped me two months ago, I’ve been coming here only recently… Mostly to try and meet new people.”

“I’m sorry.” Alex said, placing a hand on Jen’s arm and looking into the woman’s brown eyes.

Jen reached for her hand and started tracing lazy small circles, making Alex tremble.

“It’s okay.” Jen said, continuing the motion.

 _Oh_ , Alex thought. She was pretty sure she was blushing. _I’m so gay_ , she thought.

“What about you?” Jen asked her, moving a bit so she was practically next to Alex on the couch, “Any crazy ex I should be aware of?”

The woman was already so close that Alex could feel her breath on her face. For the first time in many years she felt wanted and it felt good. Her mind strayed to Maggie, she wasn’t an ex but she was definitely someone who consumed all Alex’s thoughts lately.

“No…” She whispered, closing the distance between them, “No one.”

“Hmm that’s good to know.” Jen commented before pressing her lips against Alex’s, starting a slow kiss that quickly turned hungry, impatient. Alex had never been kissed like this before. All her ex boyfriends were either bad kissers or simply couldn't wait to get in her pants so they only kissed her very briefly. But this. This felt fucking amazing. Suddenly, dimples flashed in her mind, accompanied by a cocky grin that only one woman she knew could pull off so sexily. _No, no, no, no,_ she thought, trying to dismiss errant thoughts of a certain NCPD detective. Alex placed her hands on the other woman’s hips and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss fervently. Jen moaned into the kiss and Alex felt something warm burn inside of her as the other woman’s nails raked down her back. Her mind flashed again to the perfect fit of the detective’s hand in hers that time they were going undercover at Roulette’s fight club. _Fuck,_ she thought, pulling away reluctantly from Jen. She chuckled nervously.

“Sorry, it’s just been a while for me,” she apologised, dipping her head a bit before looking up to face Jen again.

“Take all the time you need. We can go a bit slower if you’d like?” the other woman asked.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Alex replies, leaning in to kiss Jen again, hoping to keep thoughts of Maggie out of her mind.

In the meantime, Kara was still at the counter, nursing another drink. She had been trying really hard not to use her super hearing to check on Alex. Should she be worried?

“Hi, there.”

Kara looked up and saw a girl smiling at her.

“Hi.” Kara smiled.

“Are you waiting for someone?” The girl asked, she had short black hair and green eyes.

“My sister.” Kara replied, nodding.

The girl smiled and then added seductively, “Well, maybe I can keep you company while you wait?” The girl winked at her.

“Oh that’s very sweet of you, I’d love some company!” Kara responded, oblivious to the girl’s motives.

“I’m Kara, by the way.” She introduced herself as the girl sat on the stool beside her.

“It’s nice to meet you Kara, I’m Olivia. Can I buy you a drink?”

“Oh, I already have this pina colada, but thank you. Maybe I can buy you a drink instead?” She offered the girl.

Olivia tilted her head slightly and regarded Kara for a moment. “Sure, I’ll have whatever you’re having.” she replied, her hand coming down to rest on Kara’s.

 _Oh crap,_ Kara thought, as she extracted her hand awkwardly and signalled the bartender to place the order. Olivia took her hand again and started tracing lazy patterns against her skin.

“You have a really sweet smile,” she complimented Kara, “and such pretty eyes, I could drown in them easily,” she flirted.

The bartender saw the scene and smirked at Kara, who looked like she was going to jump out of her skin for the embarrassment.

Thankfully, Kara’s phone rang at that exact moment, rescuing her from the awkward position she was in.

Back at the table, Alex and Jen were now exchanging short lazy kisses, which were making Alex’s body shiver all over, but the sharp buzz of her phone alerted her that it was work calling.

“Sorry, I...I have to take this”, Alex murmured placing one small last kiss on Jen’s lips, “It’s work.”

Jen nodded, but didn’t look annoyed.

“Danvers.” Alex answered. It was J’onn.

“Alex, you and Supergirl are needed. Immediately.” He said, “I’m sending you both the details of the location now. The strike team is already on their way.”

“Will do.” Alex replied.

She stood up and looked down at Jen. “Bad news?”

“I’m… I’m really sorry.” Alex said. “I have to go.”

“I get it.” Jen replied, “Do what you have to do, Alex.”

Alex nodded and Jen watched her leave, sighing.

Alex rushed to Kara, who was already heading towards her, phone in hand, and a resolute _Supergirl_ expression on her face.

“Alex! I got the text. Let’s go.”

Once outside Kara changed into Supergirl clothes and took Alex in her arms.

“Come on, we’ll fly there.” Supergirl said, “But I’ll need details on what happened between you and that woman!”

Alex nodded, “Later!”

Supergirl smirked and sped off into the sky.

When they arrived, Maggie was already there with some of her agents from the NCPD science division and the rest of the D.E.O squad. She looked surprised to see Alex in a dress and in Supergirl’s arms.

She looked... _hot_ , Maggie couldn’t think of a more appropriate term to describe the D.E.O agent.

Alex spotted the NCPD detective and nodded at her from the distance as one of the D.E.O agents filled her and Supergirl in with the details. They handed Alex her boots, bulletproof vest, gun, and D.E.O. ear-piece.

“The suspects are inside, we believe they are holding Lena Luthor hostage but we don’t know their motives.” on of the agents explained.

“Lena.” Kara muttered, alarmed.

Maggie walked towards them. Alex could feel the other woman eyeing her curiously.

“Sawyer.” Alex greeted her.

“Danvers.” Maggie nodded, silently observing Alex’s appearance, she was a detective, after all. The agent had now put on a bulletproof vest and boots but she was still wearing a black cocktail dress underneath, and most of all looked like she had just made out with someone because her lips were swollen. Very swollen.

“Detective.” Supergirl said, waking her from her silent inspection.

Kara sensed the tension between the two and walked away from them. She had been trying to use her superpowers to check on Lena Luthor and other potential hostages, but nothing. It was like there was something blocking her powers.

“Winn, what’s the situation? I can’t seem to see what’s happening inside?” Kara said, tapping on her ear-piece.

“Supergirl, the building’s walls seems to be lined with some kind of lead alloy, that’s what’s blocking everything. We’re running a satellite thermal scan now to detect the heat signals in the building. I’ll let you know in a few.”

“Hurry, Winn!” Kara shouted into her comm device desperately. She was a woman of action and didn’t like waiting around.

“Anything you’d like to update us on, Detective?” Alex asked, looking around at anything but Maggie.

“It’s CADMUS,” Maggie said, “But I’d be surprised if you didn’t already know that. We’re still trying to determine the motive for them targeting Lena Luthor, though. Part of my team is interrogating Luthor’s assistant right now to see if we can get any leads. But as it stands, all we know is that they’re holding her hostage in there.”

Alex nodded at her, “Okay, good.” She turned away from the detective and touched her ear-piece, “Winn, got anything for us yet? Can Supergirl go in?”

“The building is cold except for the western end. We’re picking up heat signals of four individuals in that area.” he advised.

“Agent Danvers.” J’onn intervened, “You’re taking point on this operation.”

“Yes, sir.” Alex replied as Supergirl came to stand beside her.

Maggie looked at them, “What’s our move?”

“Sawyer, instruct your team to stay put and check the perimeter. We’re going inside from the East. Supergirl will take the West entrance.” Alex ordered. “Squad, be ready.”

“I’ll see you there, then.” Supergirl declared before flying away.

“Danvers, I’m coming with you.” Maggie protested, as she started following Alex.

Alex turned to look at Maggie, “You’re not coming, Sawyer. It’s too dangerous.”

“No matter how experienced and badass I know you are, everyone needs back up and I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” Maggie explained, “Besides, your gal-pal Supergirl is with us, remember?”

Alex rolled her eyes. Now was not the time for this nonsense. “They could have some dangerous weapons in there.” Alex replied, unable to mask the concern that laced her voice.

“I don’t care, _Alex_. I’m coming with you.” Maggie stated, adamantly.

Alex shook her head at the other woman before turning away. There was no point arguing this, the detective was just too damn stubborn.

The D.E.O agent sighed, “Stay behind me.”

The moment they entered the building Alex immediately knew something was off. It was too quiet. They filtered through quickly towards the Western end of the building. Everything after that felt like a blur to her, like it was all happening too fast. Supergirl was crouched against the wall clutching her side as a man wielding a giant gun aimed it at the fallen superhero, delivering a fierce green blast at her causing her to fall unconsciously to the floor. Alex caught the man off guard, knocking him out with the butt of her assault rifle before running towards her sister, Maggie following closely behind her. She twisted back to see two D.E.O. agents taking down the other men in a similar fashion and moving to untie Ms. Luthor.

Alex dropped down to the floor to assess Kara’s wounds. Her sister was unresponsive, her breathing shallow.

“Kara…” She whispered, “Winn, we need a med-evac now! Supergirl’s been hit. It was Kryptonite.” she sobbed into the comm.

Maggie didn’t know what to think. Alex was not one who normally expressed emotions so openly but right now anyone could see that she was clearly distraught. She rested her hand on Alex’s shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze.

J’onn entered the room and started giving orders to his agents. He approached Alex, Maggie, and Supergirl while the medics started strapping the superhero to the gurney.

“Don’t worry Agent Danvers, we’re going to take care of her.” He reassured Alex.

Alex nodded and watched as they carried Kara away. She was crying, quietly.  
“Danvers?” Maggie asked her, “She’s gonna be okay. Come on, I’ll drive you to the D.E.O.”

Alex silently followed Maggie to her patrol car and got into the passenger seat.

The detective started the car, throwing Alex a worried glance. If she had any doubts about how the agent felt about Supergirl, they were all cleared up now. Alex clearly loved her, intensely. Maggie was disappointed that she had somehow lost her chance, but she was determined to be the friend she promised Alex she would be, especially to get through this difficult time.

“You’ll get your chance to tell her, Danvers.”

“Tell her what?” Alex questioned Maggie.

“That you care for her?”

Alex looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face.

“She knows that I care about her.” Alex swallowed, turning to look out the window, “she’s the most important person in my life.”

“Then she’s lucky to have you, Alex.” Maggie replied bitterly, her eyes trained on the road so the agent couldn’t see the sad expression on her face.

Alex, realising what the detective was insinuating, turned towards her to clear things up. “It’s..it’s not like you think, Maggie. Yes, Supergirl means everything to me but not in the way you’re thinking. She’s…..” Alex’s voice trailed off. She knew she could trust Maggie, but was it right to give away Kara’s identity? Would her sister be mad at her for this? She dismissed the thought as quickly as it came to her mind. Of course Kara won’t mind because she knew how much Alex cared about Maggie and would want her to be open about it.

Alex turned her attention back to the detective as the car came to a stop outside the D.E.O. Maggie cut the engine and turned to face her fully now.

“Supergirl...she’s family….she’s my sister... adoptive sister… Kara.” Alex whispered, her eyes locked on the detective’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've been getting many comments and kudos and we cannot thank you enough!  
> It means a lot and we hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let us know, don't be shy!


	5. What friends are for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex runs some tests on Kara with Maggie by her side and the Man of Steel asks for help.

Maggie has seen Alex be many things in the short time she had known her. There was the abrasive DEO agent, whose tough exterior and stoic disposition often had hardened criminal aliens quaking in their boots. Then there was the defensive guardian in her, the one who put herself in danger to save Maggie barely days after they had just met. The one who ran into a fight club ring to rescue Supergirl. The agent was also a fresh-out-of-the-closet lesbian, navigating all the emotions of coming out as an adult with such endearing tenacity that Maggie was having a hard time not falling for her. All of this paled in comparison to the side of Alex she was bearing witness to now. The overprotective, caring sister. The moment they had entered the facility, Maggie could see the mask, that wall, go up around Alex once more. She was no longer the shell-shocked woman sitting pensively in Maggie’s car. Instead, the persona of doctor was slipped on effortlessly as Alex passed out instructions to those in the med bay and bustled around Supergirl’s form, running scans, attaching electrodes, taking blood samples and checking her vitals. Maggie was fascinated as she looked on at the agent in action, truly moved by the woman’s capacity for compassion and care, and in awe at the gamut of her knowledge and skills. J’onn had come in and was standing next to Maggie while Winn hovered worriedly at the door.

“The scans show internal tissue damage and bleeding in some areas. I’m gonna head down to the lab to run some tests on her blood. Don’t leave her alone.” Alex informed them, worry settling into her features. She looked back at Kara once more before hurrying past Winn. Maggie went after her, jogging slightly to catch up. She didn’t know if the agent wanted her there but she’d be damned if she left her alone. She matched Alex’s pace now, reaching out to rest her palm comfortingly against the small of the taller woman’s back as they hurried to the lab.

Alex wasted no time in processing the blood. Slipping one of the tubes into a centrifuge on the far bench to spin, emptying some of the other sample into two cuvettes and sliding them into other machines Maggie couldn’t quite name, and then finally lowering a coverslip onto a drop of the blood she had placed on a slide, before slipping it onto the microscope stage and peering through the oculars. This wasn’t Maggie’s forte so she opted to stay out of the scientist’s way and leaned against the counter to silently observe the other woman work. Soon after, the machines started beeping off in succession, indicating that their cycles were complete and the mechanical shifting of the printer arm could be heard in the silence as the results were transcribed onto paper. Alex hurriedly ripped off the sheet and studied it, worrying the tip of her pen cover between her teeth. The crease in her brow deepened as she jotted something down on the paper, peering into the microscope one last time before switching it off and discarding the slide in a nearby sharps bin.

She turned to exit the room and seemed genuinely surprised to see Maggie standing there, even though they had both entered the room together less than 20 minutes ago. Maggie smiled at her and pushed off the counter she was leaning on, moving towards where Alex was standing at the exit.

“Thankfully her blood cells weren’t altered in any way by the exposure, but the level of Kryptonite in her bloodstream is higher than she’s ever experienced before.” Alex informed her.

“Will she be able to fight this off?” Maggie asked tentatively.

Alex regarded her for a moment, the mask slipping and affording Maggie a glimpse of all the emotions that were swirling around in the agent’s mind right now.

“I hope so,” she responded, her eyes focused on her shoes and her voice sounding so small, “This is what’s slowing down her healing...but I’m hoping that the sunbed will be enough to counter that...to give her body the energy it needs to weed out the toxin and heal.” she looked up into Maggie’s eyes, drawing strength from the care and understanding she found there. “I have to get back to the med bay.” she stated, a bit of that determination back in her voice.

Maggie matched her pace once again, stepping ahead of her to open the door to Kara’s room for Alex to enter. J’onn was still there and Winn had taken position at Kara’s bedside. Alex adjusted the controls of the sunbed to increase the intensity of the UV rays as she updated both men on the results of Kara’s blood test. J’onn nodded curtly, asked that Alex keep him updated and both men exited the room quietly.

There was nothing left for Alex to do except wait. She crumpled into the chair next to Kara’s bed, her face hidden in her hands as she sobbed quietly; the weight of it all finally bursting through her barriers and settling on her. Maggie didn’t know what to do, how to comfort Alex. So she did what she would want someone to do for her if that was her own sister fighting for her life on that bed; she pulled Alex into an embrace and just held her. Alex turned into her, burying her face in the crook of Maggie’s neck and balling her fists into Maggie’s shirt, as if needing it to keep her tethered.

Maggie thought back to what Alex had revealed in the car, about Supergirl being her sister. Somehow that didn’t surprise Maggie as much as she thought it would, but instead, felt like it was the final piece of a puzzle she had been trying to put together. It all made sense now. The way Alex and Supergirl were always oriented towards each other, the way their energies seemed to complement each other, even the subtle touches and affectionate words they shared when parting at a crime scene. The kind of harmonious rapport that came from spending a lot of time with a person. At first, Maggie had misinterpreted it to mean that they were romantically involved, but in retrospect, she can see now how their interactions held that innate tenderness and fondness that came with familial bonding.

Bringing her attention back to the present moment, Maggie felt Alex’s nose brush against her neck before the taller woman pulled back to look into her eyes. Maggie shivered.

“I- I’m sorry...for um, losing it like this…,” she looked down at Maggie’s tear-soaked shirt, “for ruining your shirt….I’m sorry, Maggie. You don’t have to stay. I’ll be…” she moved to pull away completely, but Maggie held onto her, drawing her back.

“Hey, don’t worry about the shirt, okay? And I want to stay,” she lifted her hand to cup Alex’s cheek before adding softly, “I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted to be here for you. Got it, Danvers?”

Alex nodded, too tired to protest, and quite frankly, happy to have someone be there for her, even if just as a friend.

“Maybe we should get you to lay down, try to sleep a bit.” Maggie offered, noticing the other woman’s mental and physical weariness, “Is there somewhere you can do that here?”

Alex nodded, “The D.E.O has agents rooms.” She silently stood up and placed a soft kiss on Kara’s hand. She looked back at Maggie, unsure. “I’ll walk with you.” The detective told her.

She followed Alex through the D.E.O corridors and they stopped in front of a door. Alex turned to her, “Thank you, Maggie.” She said, looking at the other woman, “I mean it. You don’t have to stay, really… I can...”

“I’m not going anywhere. You need to rest and I’m going to make sure of that.” Maggie smiled at her, composed.

Alex nodded and sighed. There was no point in fighting the other woman. Telling her she wanted to be alone would have been a lie. They entered the room and Alex walked over to the bed, and switched on the small lamp on the bedside table. Maggie looked around, it was small and tidy. “Nice.” There was a double bed, a bathroom and a desk.

Alex nodded and sat on the bed, running a hand through her hair “I’m exhausted.” She  took off her shoes and went under the sheets, she was still wearing her dress but she couldn’t care less. Suddenly, everything started coming back to her. The gay bar with Kara, meeting Jen, kissing Jen and... She felt drained.

Maggie smiled at Alex, taking off her leather jacket, and wondering about how many times Alex had slept in this room, in this bed. She looked at the agent questioningly, silently asking her for permission to climb next to her on the bed. Alex nodded, imperceptibly.

Alex thought that this would be a little bit awkward, but it wasn’t. Not at all. It felt rather familiar. Maybe she was just too tired to understand the whole situation.

The detective took off her shoes and climbed into bed next to Alex. They remained silent for a while, laying on their backs. But then Alex spoke.

“You know, Kara took me to a gay bar earlier.” She said, gaze fixed at the ceiling.

Maggie smiled and turned to her, “Thought so.” She commented, admiring the other woman’s profile.

Alex turned to her, brown eyes looking at her questioningly.

Maggie shrugged, “Your dress.” She explained, “I thought you were on a date.”

“It wasn’t a date.” Alex said, quickly, feeling suddenly embarrassed, “A woman offered me a drink and we…” She moved her gaze back on the ceiling, “We sort of made out.”

Maggie wished she could ignore the sudden pang of jealousy in her heart, “Way to go, Danvers.” She sounded fake. “And how was it? Did… Did you like it?”

Alex shrugged, blushing “Yes, I did.” _But it wasn’t you_. Alex added, mentally.

Maggie nodded, “Good.” She said. _Why was it hurting her so fucking much? She was currently in bed with the woman, for God’s sake. And most of all, they were friends._

“I- I’m scared, Maggie.” Alex whispered, turning to look at her. “What if Kara…?”

“Hey, we’re talking about Supergirl, here.” Maggie reassured her, reaching for Alex’s hand, “She’ll be fine. You have to believe in her. Be there for her.”

“I do.” Alex said, “She’s my little sister. I’ve always believed in her.”

Alex sighed and suddenly images of Kara’s smile and the sound of her voice flooded her mind. She felt like crying all over again. Maggie somehow felt the change in her and she moved closer to Alex’s body, embracing her. Alex welcomed Maggie’s arms around her and buried her face in the crook of the detective’s neck.

“Just take a deep breath and relax,” Maggie whispered, “Everything will be all right.”

Alex nodded and tried to concentrate on their breathing.

Maggie held Alex until she felt her breathing even out, knowing the troubled agent had finally fallen asleep. Resting her head lightly against Alex’s, she closed her eyes and prayed silently for the superhero’s recovery to be full and fast. National City needed its saviour and Alex Danvers needed her sister.

**_Meanwhile…_ **

Clark groaned and started pacing around the room.

_Kara…_

He had listened carefully as Director Henshaw had explained the situation. His cousin was hurt and powerless. According to the results she would be out for few days, maybe weeks. They weren't’ really sure, that’s why the D.E.O demanded his help. But Clark was currently off doing his own recon on Project Cadmus, trying to find out as much as possible on the subject. He was at the brink of a huge break and couldn't get away right now. Clark hated himself because he couldn’t leave to go help his cousin’s friends in National City, but he had swore to complete the mission first. He knew that Kara would be in good hands, and he also knew that there was another person who could keep things under control in National City. He picked up his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He tapped on the screen and waited for the other person to pick up.

_Pick up, Pick up, Pick up. Dammit._

“Hello?”

“Hi. It’s me, Clark. I need your help in National City. Tell me you’re free.” Clark spoke, his voice full of worry.

“Let me guess, _Man of Steel_. You called everyone and no one else answered?”

“It’s not like that.” He said, ignoring the chuckle on the other end of the line.

“It’s _Kara_.” Clark explained, quickly, “I wouldn't have asked if it wasn’t important.”

“You owe me big time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's see if you can guess who's the mysterious person Clark called. ;)  
> Leave a comment if you enjoyed it!


	6. Late arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> J'onn calls everybody in for a meeting but there's another attack downtown. Kara is still unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update, guys. Hope you enjoy!

Alex opened her eyes and quickly glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was 3AM. She groaned softly as she felt the heat coming from Maggie’s warm body, spooning her from behind. She flushed as she carefully disentangled herself, making sure she would not wake the detective. She stood up and looked at the other woman in the semi-dark room. Maggie was sleeping soundly and Alex thought she looked beautiful, sweet and lovely at the same time. The agent knew she was already falling for the detective, but Maggie had been right. Jumping into something without thinking about the consequences wasn’t the most convenient thing for either of them. Maggie had sounded rather distraught by her recent break up and Alex just wanted to be there for her.

Alex decided to check on Kara so she quickly changed into something more comfortable and slipped out of the room, quietly. The D.E.O. headquarters were quiet, there were only a couple of techs and agents around, monitoring any suspect alien-related activity. She entered the med bay and checked on Kara’s vitals. She was stable.

“Please, Kara, wake up.” She whispered, “We need you. _I need_ _you_.”

“Hey.”

Alex turned towards the door and saw James standing there, a mug of scalding coffee in hand.

“Hi.” She nodded, “Never too early for coffee, eh?.”

He shrugged, “How are you holding up?” James asked as he walked next to her, placing his

hand on her arm, lightly.

“I’ve been better.” Alex asked, “You?”

“I’m fine.” He said, looking sadly at Kara. “Superman informed me.”

_Oh. No one had called him._

“James… I…” Alex said, placing her hand on top of his, “Everything’s happened so fast and…”

“I know, Alex, I’m not annoyed at you.” James explained, “I just wish Winn and J’onn would stop shutting me out. I hate when it happens. I _care_ about her too, you know?”

Alex nodded, “I know and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Thank you.”

“Will you stay with her?” Alex asked, caressing Kara’s hand softly.

“I will.” James answered, solemnly. “I still have some time before I’m needed at CatCo.”

She nodded her thanks to James and exited the room. It was still early and she was still feeling spent so she decided to go back to the room. Deep down she knew that she couldn't wait to feel Maggie’s arms around her again. As she entered the room quietly she was comforted by the fact that Maggie was still sleeping soundly. Alex carefully climbed back to bed, trying to not wake her.

“Danvers?” Maggie asked squinting her eyes, her voice full of sleep.

“Shh, go back to sleep, Sawyer.” Alex whispered, laying down on her side, “I was just checking on Kara.”

Maggie nodded, “She okay?”

Alex smiled, “She’s stable. Now sleep.”

“Bossy.” Maggie chuckled, drowsily. Alex smiled looking at Maggie as she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. The D.E.O. agent sighed and closed her own eyes, silently praying that her sister would wake up soon.

When Alex opened her eyes, the room was bright. She noticed that there was no sign of Maggie beside her. She massaged her eyes and checked her phone. It was now 9AM and Maggie had left her a brief text.

**_Hey, hope you slept well. Had to be at the precinct early. See you later? -M._ **

Alex smiled typing back a quick reply.

**_Hi, yes, I slept well. Hope you did too. Thank you for staying. Later. -A._ **

Alex quickly got up and went to check on Kara.

James had left and was probably already at CatCo. Alex placed her hand on Kara’s and sighed.

“Hey, you. I’m here.” She whispered to her sister.

Well, at least Kara was stable.

Alex decided to stop at her place to change her clothes and then came back to the D.E.O.

J’onn had called her in for a meeting in 1 hour. She still had some time to kill so she decided to stop for breakfast. While she was waiting in line to order she decided to call her mom, to update her on Kara.

Eliza told her she would leave Midvale later in the afternoon so that she could be at the D.E.O in the evening. On one hand, Alex was happy that her mother had decided to come, to keep an eye on her other daughter and maybe help them to speed up Kara’s recovery, but at the same time Alex felt a bit worried because now that she knew she was gay she didn’t know if she should come out to her mom. How would Eliza react? Alex feared her  mother’s disappointment. She was at a fragile state because of Kara’s condition. Maybe Maggie would know what to do.

The cashier handed her the order and she left for the D.E.O.

Alex entered the control room, sipping her coffee and taking a large bite off her donut. Winn was at his desk typing away. He looked serious and didn’t even notice her when she approached his desk.

“Hey.”

Winn looked up, “Hi, Agent Danvers. How are you feeling?”

Alex shrugged, “I’m fine. Have you seen J’onn?” Winn shook his head, “Not yet. We’re having a super undercover meeting in the conference room 40C in about 20 minutes. Maybe we should get going… J’onn was acting weird, by the way.”

“Winn…” Alex said, placing down her food and touching his shoulder, “You can talk to me okay? I know you care a lot about Kara but she’ll be fine. Trust me.”

The man looked down, “I’m sorry.” He sighed, looking miserable. “I feel so selfish. She’s your sister and yet here I am being a grumpy teenager.”

“No, you have every right to be. You’re family.” Alex told him, reassuringly, “Or at least that’s what Kara thinks.”’ She added teasingly.

Winn chucked, “Thank you, Alex.”

“Anytime. Let’s get going.”

Winn and Alex approached the large elevator. While they waited for the doors to slide open a voice called after them.

“Hey! Danvers!”

Alex turned and saw Maggie approaching them.

“What are you doing here, Sawyer? I thought you were needed at the precinct” Alex asked her, throwing a quick glance at Winn who was eyeing them curiously.

“Director Henshaw called me in for the meeting.” Maggie quickly explained while they stepped into the elevator. “I’m still learning about this place, so I thought I’d look for you.”

Alex nodded and Winn pressed the floor button, “The more, the merrier.”

“Any idea why we’re having this meeting?” Maggie asked, looking at the two D.E.O agents.

“No, Director Henshaw was rather cryptic about it.” Winn explained.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all.” Maggie commented.

“I guess we’ll find out.” Alex said, nodding at what Winn said.

They stepped out of the elevator, Maggie and Alex behind Winn.

“You all right, Danvers?” The detective whispered, noticing Alex’s resolute expression.

Alex nodded, “I’ll be fine.”

“Any updates on Supergirl?” Maggie asked.

“No, she’s stable, though, so I’m going to take that as a good sign. She just needs time to rest.” Alex explained.

Winn opened the door to the conference room. It was actually a small room, very elegant and Maggie looked around, she still couldn't’ believe she was inside the D.E.O.

There was a long marble desk in the middle of the room. J’onn was still nowhere to be found.

“Looks like we’re the first to show up.” Winn commented.

Alex nodded and looked at Maggie who was incredulously looking around.

“Still in shock over the D.E.O., Sawyer?” Alex quipped.

Maggie smiled, fixing her gaze on the other woman, “You could say that, Agent Danvers.”

“It took me months to realise this place was real.” Winn said, “But now I couldn’t imagine my life without it.”

Maggie nodded. “You and Supergirl seem close.” She commented out of the blue, looking at Winn.

He blushed, shrugging, “We’re friends.”

A simple answer, noticed Maggie, but his tone spoke volumes. This guy cared deeply for the kryptonian.

Alex placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled at him weakly. Her words were interrupted by the pager on her belt. She looked into it.

“It’s J’onn.” She told the other two. “We have to go. There’s been an accident downtown.”

“CADMUS?” Winn asked Alex.

“Seems likely they are involved.” Alex replied before rushing through the door, Maggie and Winn followed her into the control room.

Winn sat down on his desk and started typing away.

Maggie looked at Alex. The agent had started barking orders to her team. Maggie followed her  in the locker room.

“I’m coming too, Agent Danvers.” Maggie stated, throwing a glance at the D.E.O agents who were getting changed into their protective vests.

Alex threw a concerned look at the detective, “Maggie…” She started to protest.

Maggie kicked her right foot on the floor, “Oh come on, Danvers! As I said, I can take care of myself.”

Alex looked into Maggie’s dark eyes and saw determination there. “I’m not Supergirl but I know how to shoot.” She added, teasingly.

Alex sighed, “Okay but I want you to wear one of our protective vests.”

Maggie nodded and one of the agents gave her everything she needed. Maggie followed Alex in the back of a black SUV and they left for the location J’onn had sent.

On arrival at the scene, the DEO agents and Maggie alighted the SUVs and Alex assessed the situation. J’onn was clearly in over his head and this worried Alex to no end. There were open fires everywhere and J’onn was up against what looked like a 9ft reptilian shaped monster.

“What the hell is that thing?!” Maggie said, sounding shocked.

Alex quickly recovered from seeing her mentor being battered by the monster and started barking orders at her team for them to get into formation.

“I don’t know but we’re going to take it down.” Alex replied, throwing a quick glance at Maggie who nodded in response.

Once the last agent got into position, Alex gave the signal for them to open fire. It wasn’t long before she realised that the bullets were have little to no effect on the reptilian cyborg they were up against. She called back instructions for those with tranquilizer weapons to switch to those and open fire again. Much like the bullets, the tranqs seemed to bounce off the tough reptilian exoderm. It did however, get the lizards attention and it turned to face the team, unmistakeable rage fuming in its eyes.

“It’s not working”, Maggie shouted.

“Fuck.” was all Alex could get out before the reptile’s tail curled before them, spraying them with a shower of small sharp spikes. Instinctively, all the agents raised their shields to block the impact but the spikes pierced through the tough metal, puncturing the shields and remaining embedded there. “I’ve seen some weird stuff but not like this...” Maggie commented.

“It looks like a cyborg to me, but I’d need some time to scan it from here and find its weak spots.” Winn’s voice said from their in-ears.

Before Alex could instruct her team further, the angry lizard let loose another spray of spikes, this time hitting some of the agents and taking them down.

“Fall back!! Take cover!!” Alex shouted. She turned to follow Maggie behind a nearby stack of crates before noticing that the detective was bleeding profusely from a puncture wound in her right arm.

“Maggie!” She shouted, rushing to the detective’s side. She ripped open the sleeve of Maggie’s shirt to assess the wound when the reptile roared and another spray of spikes knocked over some of the crates they were hiding behind. Alex made quick work of tying the torn sleeve above the wound like a makeshift tourniquet before turning back to peek out at the reptile.

“Alex don’t you dare,” Maggie warned through gritted teeth, knowing fully well what Alex was considering doing.

“Agent Danvers, honestly, the situation doesn’t look good from here.” Winn’s voice cracked from her in-ear.

“Any advice, Winn?” Alex asked. Looking back at Maggie she knew she couldn’t just sit by and do nothing. With a firm resolve, she steeled her expression and made to swing around the heap of crates to face their assailant.

As she straightened up into the line of sight of the reptile, a blur of red and black pushed her back with the sheer force of their entry. She fell back, breaking the fall with her arms as she watched a giant net seem to materialize out of thin air to trap the beast and a couple of well-placed tranquilizers sink into the reptile’s skin, breaking through it’s tough hide smoothly. The beast swayed a bit then dropped to the ground unconscious. As the dust settled, the dark saviour turned to face Alex, Maggie and the rest of the team.

“Is that…?” Winn’s voice crackled across the comm, shocked, “Batwoman?”

“Batwoman...” Alex breathed out, surprised as she stood up.

The caped crusader cracked a smile that Maggie could never mistaken anywhere, gaze focused on the detective.

“Sorry for being so late Mags, traffic was a bitch.”

Maggie’s jaw hung slack in surprise and she looked at the last person she ever expected to cross paths with in National City.

Alex looked curiously between the famous masked vigilante and the NCPD detective, who was now standing up and holding her wounded right arm.

 _Mags? Do these two know each other?_ , Alex thought.

“Thank you.” Maggie replied.

Alex snapped back from her reverie and ordered her team to take the cyborg back at the D.E.O. headquarters. She then walked closer to Batwoman, “I’m Agent Danvers, thank you for your help.”

Batwoman nodded, shifting her gaze from Maggie to the D.E.O agent, “You’re welcome. I’m here to help. Heard that Supergirl is currently unavailable.”

“She is. Excuse me, I need to go and check on Director Henshaw.” Alex glanced back at Maggie and after seeing the detective nod at her, she started running towards J’onn.

Maggie tensed as the other woman walked closer to her.

“You all right, Mags?” Batwoman asked and quickly inspected her wound, “That needs to be checked out, by the way.”

“I’ll be fine.” She replied, looking at the masked woman. “I didn’t know you were coming to National City.”

Batwoman smiled, weakly “Me neither, but Superman needed a favour and I was available. How have you been?”

“Good.” Maggie replied, she didn't know what else to say, “I need to go help. I’ll see you.”

Batwoman sighed and looked at Maggie Sawyer’s retreating form.

“I missed you, too.” She whispered to herself, bitterly.


	7. Holding it together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex is trying to hold things together while Kara is still recovering, someone unexpected makes an appearance at the D.E.O, and Maggie lets someone from her past back in her life - kinda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! How are you guys doing? It's been a long time since we updated this story and we just wanted to apologise for the wait. We're trying to get our focus back on this; there will probably be another couple of chapters before we wrap it up. And don't worry Sanvers is endgame!

Alex observed as J’onn was carefully placed on a stretcher and eased down in the back of the black D.E.O van by four agents. She looked back at Maggie, noticing that the other woman was still being unusually quiet. She looked lost in thought. The NCPD had arrived at the scene but the dark-haired detective had told them she’d send in her report later. Alex helped the detective and the two women jumped in the back of the van without saying a word.

Batwoman looked at them from afar. She activated her grappling hook and fled the scene before the NCPD could identify her, red cape fluctuating dramatically around her.

In the van, Alex held onto J’onn’s hand. The Martian man was still unconscious but she knew he would be back on his feet by tomorrow. This meant that she was going to be the temporary acting Director of the D.E.O, at least until J’onn was better. Alex glanced at Maggie who was looking at her feet and seemed deeply lost in thought. She had noticed that the detective had been strangely quiet but had assumed it was because of her injury.

As they entered the D.E.O. Alex instructed some of the agents to take J’onn into medical and she told Maggie to follow her into one of the lab rooms. Maggie didn’t know what to say or think. She just followed Alex. Seeing Batwoman again had brought it all back.

“Sit.” Alex’s voice woke her up from her reverie, “I’m going to examine your wound.”

“Thank you.” The detective replied as Alex started disinfecting the cut. Maggie flinched, the injury was hurting like a bitch. Also, the fact that Batwoman was in National City was upsetting her. But she would never admit it out loud.

“Luckily, it’s not too deep. You just had a splinter of the spike, which I removed. I’m gonna have my techs run some tests on it later.” Alex said. She tended Maggie’s wound in silence and then stitched it up.

“Here, all done.” She said.

Maggie nodded. Alex handed her a glass of water and some painkillers, which Maggie took.

“You should probably go and get some rest.” Alex told her and pulled out a key from her trousers pocket, “That’s the key to my room at the D.E.O. You can go there.”

“Alex, you don’t have to…”

“But I want to,” Alex said, looking Maggie in the eye. The Detective thought about the previous day when they had peacefully slept together. Maggie had never just slept over with a woman who wasn’t her girlfriend.

“I…” Maggie protested but Alex shook her head.

_What are we doing?_

“Maggie, listen,” Alex said, “you need to rest and this is the quickest option. I can’t let you leave, we still don’t know whether those spikes are poisonous or not.”

Maggie sighed, “Okay, Danvers.”

“We’ll talk later,” Alex said, patting the other woman’s knee and turning to type some results on the computer nearby.

“Alex?” Maggie said, slowly, observing the other woman.

“Yes?” Alex replied, turning towards her.

“Thank you”, Maggie said.

“Anytime.” Alex nodded and left the room.

Maggie sighed and decided to follow Alex’s advice. She reached the room and entered, closing the door behind her. The dark-haired detective took off her boots and carefully settled her aching body on the bed. She shut her eyes and tried avoiding the sudden rush of mixed feelings, longing and regret, that seeing Batwoman had brought back.

Meanwhile, Alex was pacing outside of the medical room waiting as the D.E.O doctors finished visiting J’onn. She also needed to check on Kara and then...

“Agent Danvers, here you are.” One of the D.E.O. agents said relieved, coming up to her.

“Yes?” Alex turned and looked at the man.

“You’re needed in the control room.” The agent told her. “We’ve got a situation.”

She nodded and followed the agent. As soon as she reached the massive control room she was met by a somewhat odd and funny sight. Five of her agents were circling Batwoman, weapons drawn and the rest of the agents looked ready to attack. The redhead vigilante looked bored as hell but at least she had the decency of raising her hands up in surrender.

“Agent Danvers,” the masked woman said, comforted, “Would you please tell your agents I’m not the enemy here? Your favourite guy, Superman, requested my help.” Batwoman told them mockingly.

Alex nodded, “Lower your weapons. Batwoman is not our enemy.”

The agents followed her order and went back to doing their job, however, some of them continued to look at the vigilante with suspicion.

“How exactly did you enter the D.E.O?” Alex questioned, looking at the masked woman with a hard expression on her face.

Batwoman chuckled, gaze focused on Alex’s, “I have my ways, Agent.”

“Oh my god!” Winn’s high squeal interrupted their staring contest.

“Who’s that?” Batwoman asked Alex as they both turned to look at Winn.

“Agent Schott. Nice to meet you, you can call me Winn!” Winn introduced himself, excitedly, “I heard Superman called you for help. I’m excited to be able to work with you.”

“Winn is our IT guy.” Alex explained, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak with you in private. Please follow me before this one starts asking of what fabric is your suit made."

Batwoman nodded and smiled at Winn, who continued staring at her lovingly until the two women left the control room. Alex guided Batwoman to J’onn’s office and shut the door behind them.

“I have to admit I’m a bit surprised to see you here. I thought you vigilantes were against working with government organisations, especially with the D.E.O in your case.” Alex stated.

Batwoman chuckled, “Straight to the point.” She said, “I like you, Agent Danvers.”

Alex crossed her arms, looking unimpressed. She studied the masked vigilante before her. She knew all about Batwoman’s reputation, who didn’t, especially at the D.E.O. But many things were still a total mystery to her.

“I suppose J’onn was going to introduce us but, apparently, the reptilian cyborg ruined his plans.” Alex continued, ignoring the other woman’s teasing tone.

“Yes, he was going to. I’m at your complete disposition, Agent Danvers.” Batwoman said.

“Your reputation precedes you”, Alex commented, observing Batwoman up and down.

“J’onn told me a bit about you and about Supergirl being your sister.”

Alex nodded.

“Believe me when I say that I get how you feel. I hope she’ll recover quickly.” The vigilante said.

“She will. The only problem is that she probably won’t have all her powers back right away.” Alex explained.

“That’s why I’m here”, Batwoman reassured her.

Alex nodded. “Director Henshaw is currently being treated by our doctors but his injury is not severe. He will recover quickly.”

“That’s good to know”, Batwoman replied.

“How do you know Detective Sawyer, exactly?” Alex asked her.

Batwoman seemed taken aback once again by Alex’s directness. She chuckled.

“Maggie and I have a history together, Agent. I met her in Gotham where I used to 'help' the GCPD… As for the rest, well, I don’t think that’s my place to tell you. Sorry.” Batwoman replied, looking smugly.

_History._

Alex didn’t need too long to put two and two together. She remembered reading Maggie’s files after their first encounter and she had read about her days at the GCPD but once again, there were too many things that weren’t mentioned on file. Plus, there was no explanation on why Maggie had been relocated to National City so abruptly. That was a conversation her and Maggie needed to have.

“Speaking of Maggie. How is she?” The vigilante asked.

“She’s better. She’s currently in one of the D.E.O rooms resting but I bet you’d like to talk to her later.” Alex explained, feeling a pang of jealousy.

“Yes, I will try. I owe her an apology.” Batwoman said, “It’s long overdue.”

Their staring contest lasted a few seconds.

“I suppose you know who we are up against”, Alex announced, changing the subject.

“Cadmus”, Batwoman replied seriously.

Alex nodded, solemnly “Then, the D.E.O accepts your offer to help.”

“Thank you, Agent Danvers. If you don’t mind I’m going to check the situation out there. It’s going be dark soon.”

Alex nodded. “I’ll tell my agents to show you the way out.”

The vigilante smiled, “No need.” She turned her back to Alex.

“As you’d probably know, my time here is limited” Batwoman said, turning to look at Alex.

“I can imagine. You must have a lot to do in Gotham.” Alex said.

“I do. See you later, Agent Danvers.”

Alex looked at the woman’s retreating form, red cape and all, and sat down, letting out a long breath.

Her phone rang and she picked it up without looking at the screen.

“Danvers.”

“Agent Danvers, it’s Lena Luthor.” the voice on the line said.

“Hello, Miss Luthor. How can I help?”

“I was hoping you’d help me find Kara. I can’t reach her and I’m getting rather worried. I haven’t heard from her or Supergirl since the accident.” Lena said.

“Oh. I’m sorry but Kara is… She’s out of town doing an interview for her upcoming article. As for Supergirl, I’m sorry but the information is classified. I can only tell you she’s fine, we’re taking care of her.” Alex spoke, reassuringly.

“I see. I hope I can reach Kara soon and all the best to Supergirl. Tell your sister I said hi.” Lena said.

“Will do.” Alex said, “Thank you for calling.”

“Agent?” Lena’s voice sounded a bit unsure.

“Yes?”

“If something bad happens, will you just tell me? Kara is my friend and so is Supergirl. I care about them and I...” She trailed off.

“If something were to happen you’d be the first to know”, Alex said.

“Thank you.” Lena said, “Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

Alex ended the call and run a hand through her hair. She needed to check on Kara.

She rushed to the medical room and sat down on the chair next to Kara’s bed.

“Hey”, Alex whispered, sadly. Her sister looked so peaceful. Alex took her hand and placed her forehead against it on the bed, as she started to sob quietly.

“Alex...”

Alex looked up and saw her mother, smiling sadly. “I’m here.”

“Mom.”

Eliza dropped her bag and closed the distance between them. She took Alex into her arms, holding onto her tightly.

“It’s okay, sweetie. Everything will be alright.” Eliza reassured her. “Kara is strong.”

“I know. It’s just been a stressful week.” Alex said, “I…”

Eliza caressed her daughter’s cheek and regarded her closely.

“You should rest soon, sweetie”, Eliza said.

“I will, as soon as I finish here.”

Eliza nodded and kissed her cheek.

“You go and check the situation, Alex. I’ll stay here and monitor Kara’s results.” Eliza said, “We'll catch up later.”

“Are you staying at Kara’s? Would you like to stay here or perhaps at my place?” Alex asked.

“I already went to Kara’s and left my luggage there. However, I think it’s best if I stay here while you go home and rest.” Eliza said.

“Okay. Thank you, mom”, she kissed her mother’s cheek and left.

“I’ll see you later.”

Alex left and entered the control room. She was surprised to find J’onn there, sitting next to Winn.

“J’onn!” Alex rushed to his side and touched his arm.

“Agent Danvers, good to see you.” He smiled.

“I already updated Director Henshaw on everything, Agent”, Winn reassured her.

“Good.” She nodded, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m better now that the painkillers are doing their job. Results didn’t show any sign of poison so you can tell Detective Sawyer that she’s free to go.” J’onn informed her.

“Okay.” She replied.

“You’re dismissed for the day, Agent”, J’onn said.

“You should rest.” Alex protested, “Why are you here? I can take over.”

J’onn chuckled, “I know you can, Alex. But I want you to go home and get some rest. End of discussion.”

Alex sighed.

“Oh, and have Sawyer sign the documentation on Supergirl.” He reminded her.

She nodded and left, “Will this day ever end?” She muttered to herself.

As Alex reached the corridor that led to her room at the DEO, she saw Maggie come out from her room, looking a bit more rested than earlier.

“Hey.” She greeted her. “How are you feeling?”

“Danvers.” Maggie said, “I’m better. Am I free to leave now?” She asked, smirking at the other woman.

Alex chuckled, “You are. But I need you to come with me and sign some papers, first.”

“Lead the way”, Maggie told her.

They entered J’onn’s office and Alex was surprised to see a small bat-shaped metal object stuck on the wall behind J’onn’s desk.

“What the…?”

Maggie sighed. “Did you bring her here?”

Alex looked at her curiously, “Batwoman?” Maggie nodded.

“Yes, we had some matters to discuss”, Alex replied.

“I’m not even gonna ask.” Maggie replied, shaking her head, “But that’s one of her tricks.” She mentioned to the bat, “Just let me sign the papers and I’ll be out of your hair.”

Alex handed a tablet to Maggie. She observed her as the detective read it carefully and signed at the end. Alex swallowed and forced herself to say something.

“What happened between you two? You don’t seem to like her very much.” Alex tried, trying once again to stop the pang of jealousy she felt. “That’s what I’m getting, anyways”, she mumbled looking at the detective and then down at her hands.

Maggie smiled bitterly and looked everywhere but at Alex.

She sighed and then looked in the other woman’s eyes, “I used to like her. She’s my ex.”

“Oh”, Alex commented.

“Of course, I fell for the non-masked version of her but I had to learn to love her other version as well,” Maggie explained.

“You know who she really is”, Alex stated, fascinated despite feeling a sense of dread creeping up in her heart.

“I do.” Maggie nodded, “And now I also know who Supergirl is. I think you and the D.E.O can definitely trust me.” She smirked.

Alex nodded and Maggie stood up. “I have to go.”

“Maggie, whatever happened between you two, I’m sorry.” Alex tried.

The detective shrugged, “It’s okay, I’m over it.”

Alex bit her lip, “She said she needed to talk to you. That she owes you an apology.”

Maggie looked down and nodded, “Thanks for the heads up, Danvers.”

Alex smiled weakly.

“Let me know when Kara wakes up. See you.”

And she left. Alex sighed and decided that it was definitely time to go home and get some rest.

*

**_Later that night…_ **

Maggie massaged her injured side softly as she bent down to check on the contents of her fridge. She took out some leftover pizza and some mushrooms soup; she thought about having a beer but then remembered she should try to not drink alcohol as Alex had ordered her to.

She rolled her eyes.

“You’re not even together and you’re already whipped, Sawyer.” She muttered to herself as she placed the soup in the microwave, thoughts of the brave D.E.O. agent filling her head.

When the soup was ready and warm, she took a spoon and sat down on her counter. She hummed as she tasted the liquid soup on her mouth.

Suddenly, she felt some noise outside on the corridor, and as if by magic, someone knocked on her door.

She slowly got up from her seat, “Yeah? Who is it?”

“Maggie…? It’s me, Kate.”

Maggie sighed. If she was honest, she was kind of expecting Kate to show up, but she thought the woman would have waited some time before coming to talk to her.

The detective unlocked her door and opened it.

Kate Kane, red lips and green eyes, stood there in all her glory.

“Long time no see,” Maggie commented as she gestured her to come inside.

“Hi.” Kate said, “How’s your injury?”

“Better” Maggie said, shutting the door and walking back to her seat on the counter.

“I like your apartment”, Kate commented, looking around.

Maggie tilted her head and frowned. Was Kate nervous?

Kate sighed. She knew she wasn’t the best in terms of expressing her feelings, and neither was Maggie. That’s what had caused their break up, after all. But Maggie looked somehow different.

“Danvers told me you wanted to talk but I wasn’t expecting you to show up here so early”, Maggie commented, placing the spoon in the now empty plate.

She stood up, took a beer from the fridge and handed it to Kate.

Kate sat down in front of Maggie, on the kitchen counter.

“You mean as me, Kate?” The red-head asked.

Maggie nodded, returning to her seat and opening the box of lukewarm leftover pizza in front of them.

“Help yourself.” She said, “Why are you here, Kate?"

Kate looked down at the pizza in front of them and then back up in Maggie’s dark brown eyes. She took a sip of her beer.

“Isn’t it too late for this?” Maggie questioned. "Shouldn't we have had this talk a long time ago?"

"It was too early, I think," Kate muttered and silence settled between them.

Kate shook her head, “But I've recently realised that it’s never too late if you care about someone.”

Maggie regarded her a bit shocked, then, let out a small laugh but tried to contain herself because her injury was still hurting like a bitch.

“You don’t understand, Maggie.” Kate said, “I’m not here to win you back or to make up excuses for my past behaviour.”

“Then why are you here?” The dark-haired woman questioned.

“Because I’ve never stopped caring for you, even if we’re not together anymore,” Kate confessed.

“I’m glad to know that,” Maggie said, biting into a slice of pizza.

Kane nodded, “That’s part of the reason why I accepted Superman’s offer, you know. I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“What’s the other part of the reason?” Maggie asked, tilting her head.

“I also wanted to get some information on Cadmus from the D.E.O.” She added, smiling weakly, "They have lots of classified files I can now access."

“Understandable.” The dark-haired detective replied, "And what makes you think I won't tell Danvers or J'onn about it?"

Kate smiled, "I trust you." She shrugged, "And you know better than me that whatever the D.E.O. is planning won't be enough to bring down Cadmus. They need some help from the outside."

Maggie chuckled and shook her head.

“Anyways, I have to say that despite your injury," Kate motioned to her side, "you look good. You seem happy.” Kate commented.

“Despite everything I am, yes.” Maggie nodded, chewing on her slice of pizza.

“Good." Kate said.

"Listen, Mags, I owe you an apology.” She added slowly.

Maggie sighed. She stood up and started pacing in her own living room. She needed to move, she couldn't be still.

“You don't know how many times I thought about this," She said, "about us talking and coming clean about our feelings."

Kate nodded. "I thought a lot about it too."

"These past few years I’ve been so angry at myself for falling in love with you.” Maggie said, touching her chin with her fingers, massaging the spot, “And for still loving you after everything. It ruined some of my most recent relationships, you know?”

“But...” Kate slowly stood up too, running her hand through her hair, out of frustration.  


Maggie shook her head, interrupting her.

“What I’m trying to say is that, yes, I hated you and maybe part of me still does. But at the same time I think I’ve moved on from you, from Gotham and all that.” Maggie clarified.

“And now that I’m here in National City I feel like I am becoming more of myself. I love my job with the NCPD Science division, I love that I can collaborate with the D.E.O. I've made new friends, and I know that here I can be happy one day.” She explained and stopped pacing.

“I’m glad you feel this way,” Kate said.

Maggie nodded.

"And I hope one day we can be friends," the red-head said, smiling at her weakly.

"I'd like that," Maggie whispered, observing Kate taking a long swig of her beer.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments are always appreciated. Enjoy your weekend!


	8. Supergirl lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara is back, Alex has a talk with her mother, and there's a new crime scene.

A few days later, Maggie got the news from Alex that Kara had regained consciousness. However, Supergirl was still too weak to go back to her normal superhero and reporter-wannabe duties. Therefore, Batwoman, aka Gotham’s infamous and shadowy vigilante, was still around protecting National City and helping at the same time the NCPD and the D.E.O.

To Kate’s great annoyance, Batwoman had become the main topic of all National City media headlines. Sadly, even having James Olsen – Superman’s bestie - as acting CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media didn’t help on that matter, but Kate had told Maggie she would do everything to avoid any unwanted encounters with noisy journalists. The Detective asked herself what would Kate say if she knew about Kara’s daily job as a reporter at CatCo media. But knowing Kate, she probably already knew.

She shook her head, smirking, as she breathed in the early morning’s air. The dark-haired detective was currently headed to the D.E.O headquarters with a bunch of sunflowers for Kara; she knew that kryptonians got their powers on Earth from the sun, so when the previous night she had got Alex’s message she thought it would be a nice way to visit Kara and wish her a prompt healing.  
As her thoughts shifted to another caped female superhero, the Detective reflected on how strange it had felt to be finally able to have a conversation with Kate again. Two nights ago, they had talked about everything and nothing for over an hour before Kate had left Maggie’s apartment. It had been the one and only time they’d come face to face since Batwoman’s arrival to National City. Despite this, Maggie was 100% sure that she’d seen Batwoman vanishing from one of her crime scenes the previous night. It was weird, she thought. She didn’t miss Kate like she used to. Maybe she was over her for real this time. Or maybe it was also because she couldn’t stop thinking about Alex. She had missed Alex terribly these past few days.

“Detective Sawyer? Maggie?”

A voice brought her back to reality. She turned and saw Winn running towards her.

“Are you on your way to see Supergirl?” He asked, excitedly.

“Hi! Yes, I am.” She said, showing him the sunflowers.

He smiled at her and they reached the D.E.O. building in a comfortable silence.

“How is she?” The detective asked as they walked through the main doors and went past security.

Winn sighed, “She’s still weak but she’s awake. They are running tests on her.”

She nodded, “Good.”

“Do you know if Alex is around?” Maggie asked as they entered the building.

“She should be with Supergirl in the med bay.” Winn said, motioning to the main corridor, “You know the way?”

Maggie nodded, “Yes, thank you. See you around, Agent!”

“You too.” Winn said.

Maggie walked towards the room she knew Kara was in and she saw through the glass the Danvers sisters talking animatedly with a blonde older woman. Alex saw her and smiled, gesturing for her to come in.

“Detective!” Kara exclaimed, smiling weakly.

“Hi…” Alex smiled at her somehow shyly, and the blonde woman looked at them with polite interest.

“Hello, I’m glad you’re awake, Supergirl.” Maggie said, shutting the glass door behind her.

“Here, let me take the flowers.” Alex said, taking the sunflowers from her grasp and placing them with the rest of the flowers.

“Those are beautiful, Maggie.” Kara said, “Oh and you can call me Kara. Alex told me she told you” she added quickly.

“Okay. How are you feeling, Kara?” Maggie asked, walking closely to Kara’s bed.

Supergirl shrugged.

“Like I was run over by a truck.” Kara confessed, chuckling and making them all burst into laughter.

Alex noticed that her mother was looking at Maggie curiously and so she said, “Maggie, this is our mother, Dr. Eliza Danvers,” she explained, “Mom, this is Detective Sawyer from the NCPD.”

Eliza nodded, “Nice to meet you, Detective Sawyer.”

“You too, Dr. Danvers.” Maggie answered politely, shaking the older woman’s hand.

“I didn’t know the NCPD was helping the D.E.O...” Eliza commented, looking between her two daughters.

“The NCPD Science division is.” Maggie said, looking at Kara.

“She’s our friend, mom,” Alex reassured her, shifting her gaze to Maggie, while Kara nodded.

Eliza nodded but was a bit surprised, not by Alex’s words, but by Alex’s tone.

“Anyway, I really just wanted to drop in and say hi before heading to work. It was really nice to meet you, Dr. Danvers”, Maggie excused herself, wanting to give the family their privacy.

“Thanks for stopping by”, Kara said and Maggie smiled at her.

Alex exited the room behind her, gently cupping her elbow to turn her around. “Thanks for coming to see Kara. It means a lot.” The Agent looked down, “Call me if anything comes up okay?”

Maggie smiled and nodded, turning again to exit the medical area.

Alex re-entered the room to find her mother and Kara both sporting knowing smiles on their faces.

“Is there something you want to tell me, sweetheart?” Eliza asked her.

“There’s nothing to tell, Mom, let’s focus on getting Kara better. I’m uh gonna head to the lab to check something out, okay?” She responded, opting to avoid any kind of confrontation right now. She really didn’t know if she was ready to tell her mother about her recent revelation. Eliza watched Alex walk out of the room and then turned back to look at Kara, as if seeking permission to go after her elder daughter.

“Go, I’m ok really, James will be here in a few in any case to update me on all the CatCo gossip and hot stories.” Kara reassured her.

Eliza bent to brush a light kiss against her forehead before heading out the door and down the corridor to the lab.

Eliza entered the lab and saw Alex leaning against the benchtop with her eyes closed and a worried expression on her face.

“Are you alright, sweetie?” Eliza approached her daughter from behind, touching her elbow lightly.

“Mom! Yeah, I’m fine. I was just uh planning out what I um, have to do here.” Alex responded nervously, picking up and putting back down random things on the benchtop.

“Are you getting enough rest?” the older woman asked. “You look worried.”

“It’s been a rough couple of days with all that’s going on with Kara, but I’m fine really, thanks.” She replied, not fully turning to meet her mother’s eyes.

“Kara will be fine”, Eliza reassured her, massaging her right arm.

“You were never good at avoiding things, Alex. Please let me help. What’s wrong?” Eliza asked, softly, “You can tell me anything.”

Alex sighed, turning to face her mother now. “Can I really mom? I feel like all I ever do is disappoint you,” her eyes betrayed the emotions she was trying to hold in.

“So there is something you’re hiding.” Eliza said, sternly, “I know I’ve been hard on you in the past but I’ve been nothing but proud of you, I don’t see why whatever this is will disappoint me.”

Alex’s eyes locked with her mother’s for a few moments before she resolved to try opening up to her.

“Mom, I…” Alex began, “I always did what you asked me to, I always protected Kara and tried to do everything you wanted me to but the truth is, I’ve never been good at communicating with you...” she looked off into the distance, her brow creasing to steel herself from crumbling, “I’m not sure I know how to anymore,” she whispered defeatedly.

Eliza had no words to comfort her elder daughter, so she did the one thing she knew always worked to console her; she opened her arms and drew Alex into a tight embrace, willing their close contact to communicate to Alex that she would always be there for her no matter what. Alex held on tightly, the weight of everything that had happened taking its toll as she melted into her mother.

They stayed like this for a bit, just the sound of their breathing breaking the silence of the room before Alex slowly pulled away and met her mother’s eyes.

“You were right, there is something mom, I’m learning new things about myself that…. that I can’t believe I went so long without knowing, and now that I know, I feel more like myself than ever. But I just need a bit more time to understand all of it before I can truly talk about it. Is that okay with you?”

Eliza smiled, “Of course honey, I just want you to know that whatever it is, it could never ever disappoint me. I love you.”

“I love you too, mom. We should get back to Kara.” Alex responded, relieved that they had cleared the air somewhat.

“Didn’t you come in here to do some work?” Eliza teased, flashing Alex a cheeky grin.

“Psh.” Alex huffed, walking out ahead of her mother.

**Later that night...**

Alex had just came out of the bathroom, dressed only in a towel. She couldn’t wait to change into her pajamas and spend the rest of the evening relaxing.

As she moved closer to her bed to retrieve her yoga pants and orange t-shirt her thoughts went back to her conversation with her mom and felt a bit guilty about it. But she wasn't ready to talk about it yet. There was too much going on.

Suddenly, her phone beeped and she picked it up. It was Maggie, sending her a location to a crime scene. She texted back that she was going to be there in 15 minutes. She changed into a pair of black skinny jeans, a red t-shirt and leather jacket, and left her apartment.

When Alex arrived at the crime scene, Maggie was already there talking to the officers who had found the body.

Alex walked towards her and nodded her head in Maggie’s direction.

“Where is the body?” Alex asked, after the officers had left Maggie’s side.

“You mean what's left of it”, Maggie warned.

The detective gestured the D.E.O. agent to follow her. She guided her through a dark alley that was now an off-limits area, and stopped before what looked like a human leg and two arms.

Alex tried to contain her shock but apparently failed because Maggie sent a concerned glance her way. Alex bent down and looked at it closely. The body parts looked like they were human, but at the same time they were unlike any other she had seen before. The blood was darker with some kind of fluorescent glow to it. She needed this back to the lab to run some tests on it.

“This is weird,” Alex said, pulling out her phone and starting to take some photos of the leg and arms to send back to the D.E.O. “There's no smell.”

Maggie nodded and looked around, everywhere.

“I need to bring these parts back to our lab,” Alex continued, “Do you know what kind of species was it?” Alex asked, looking up at Maggie.

But the detective didn't reply. Alex noticed that she had walked far from her and the limbs.

“Sawyer?” Alex asked, “you ok there?”

Maggie ignored her and chuckled out loud. Alex looked at her with concern.

“Do you think that after all these years I would forget how good are you at sneaking up on my crime scenes?” Maggie exclaimed loudly.

Alex lifted her eyebrows, “What…?” She whispered.

Maggie turned to her and shook her head.

“Sorry, Danvers,” she told her, “don't worry I'll take care of this!”

Maggie looked up and Alex followed her line of sight.

Batwoman came out of her hiding place.

“Long time no see”, she mocked Maggie, landing not too far from the other women.

Maggie smiled.

“Guess you have lost your touch, Batwoman” the detective said jokingly.

“Or maybe you just became a better cop, Sawyer.” The vigilante bit back.

She turned towards Alex who had observed their exchange in silence.

“Agent Danvers.”

Alex nodded at her and motioned to the body parts. “Have you seen or heard anything about this?”

“As a matter of fact, yes, I have.” Batwoman said, looking between Maggie and Alex.

“Spill it.” Maggie said.

“The victim was an Exorian, male, 24 years old,” Batwoman said. “I was too late, there was a van and I tried to follow them but I'm no kryptonian.”

Alex typed back the info to Winn.

“What else?” Maggie asked, impatiently.

Batwoman chuckled, “I see things haven't changed much after all,” she said walking closer to the dark-haired detective, “always so impatient.” She whispered.

Maggie tilted her head and squinted her eyes, “behave.”

Alex eyed the pair curiously, trying to not show her annoyance at the obvious banter. She bent down to take another look at the leg and arms on the dirty concrete floor, “it’s like they used a laser to cut it… like they didn't want to damage it too much.” She reasoned.

“You’re right.” Batwoman commented.

Alex looked down at her phone. Winn had started sending her some information on missing aliens in the past few weeks. She skimmed through it and sighed.

“What?” Maggie asked her.

“This might explain why…” she said, handing the phone to Maggie.

Maggie took it and started reading, “these are reports from five victims. All of them were aliens.”

“Yes, and apparently these deaths were all reportedly accidental.” Alex stated.

“I think we all know what Cadmus is doing after the reptile incident.” Maggie stated.

Batwoman nodded, “it’s kinda like they are trying to build their own alien Frankenstein.”

Alex nodded and exchanged a worried look with Maggie, “We just have to find them before whatever they are creating will be ready to attack.”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let us know your thoughts on this!


	9. Sister night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex goes to Kara for sister night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We terribly miss Danvers Sisters night, so we did something about it. Enjoy!

In the following weeks, the D.E.O. and the NCPD science division found 3 dead aliens in total, but since the species found were of a peaceful nature, Alex suspected that Cadmus was hurting innocent aliens to divert the D.E.O.’s attention from their main plan.

Since Kara was back at home in her apartment, Alex had promised her that she would go and spend the evening with her for their sister night. As she got off her Ducati she looked at her phone and saw a notification from Maggie. Alex had been avoiding the dark-haired detective. She was still caught up in her growing feelings for the woman and she’d thought the best way to regain some sanity was avoiding Sawyer.

_Yep, very mature, Danvers._

Alex hadn’t replied to any of Maggie’s texts that she thought were too personal. She’d only answered some work calls. The truth was that she couldn’t stop thinking about Maggie. But at the same time, seeing Maggie with Batwoman had made her feel more insecure about herself than she’d ever been.

Alex shook her head to clear her thoughts as she reached Kara’s apartment. She knocked and the door opened immediately, proof that Kara had used her super speed.

“Hey!” The blonde hugged her older sister and Alex hugged her back.

“It’s good to see you back to normal!” Alex said, “I missed this, you squeezing me.”

“It’s good to be back.” Kara said.

“Need. To. Breathe!” Alex gasped, jokingly.

“Shut up!” Kara glared at her, smiling “And I missed you too, by the way.” She added, pushing Alex lightly towards the couch.

They sat down and Kara excused herself. After two seconds she was back with two huge boxes of takeout, a beer for Alex, and a soft drink for herself.

“Is that…?” Alex asked, pointing at the scalding boxes of food in front of her.

“Yep! Only the best for my favourite sister!” Kara chuckled.

“You mean your only sister,” Alex teased, “I love you.”

Kara rolled her eyes and smiled, “I love you too.”

They started eating in comfortable silence, an old French movie was playing on TV but neither of them was paying any attention. Since Kara had regained her powers the Danvers sisters hadn’t had time to talk or spend much time together because Kara had been too busy with work, Snapper had kept her occupied all week, and Alex had been investigating the disappearing aliens’ case with the D.E.O. Alex started filling her in on the latest information about the case. It was too important to not talk about it.

After Alex explained the situation they got silent for a bit, then the older Danvers asked with a small voice, “What would dad do?”

Kara sat up and went to get some more drinks for them, “I really don’t know.”

“Me neither.” Alex whispered.

Kara sat down and placed an arm around her shoulder.

“Sometimes I miss him so much, Kara,” Alex confessed, leaning her head on Kara’s shoulder.

“Me too”, Kara whispered back.

“You know, mom questioned me and wanted to know if there was something wrong with me,” Alex said as Kara nodded.

“What exactly did you tell her, Kara?” Alex asked, sounding a bit upset. She removed her head from Kara’s shoulder and looked in her sister’s eyes.

The blonde raised both hands in the air and shook her head, “I swear I didn’t say anything, Alex.”

Alex squinted her eyes, observed her closely and nodded, “Thank you.” She believed her.

“It’s not like I don’t want to tell her…” Alex explained quietly, “...About me.”

Kara smiled at her gently and pulled her closer to her body.

“I just wish I’d had someone to introduce to her...I…” Alex tried, “I wish I had someone so I could tell her, ‘hi, mom, this is my girlfriend.’ You know what I mean?”

The blond superhero nodded. She understood perfectly well.

“What about Maggie?” Kara asked, raising her eyebrows and playing with Alex’s hand.

Alex removed her hand from Kara’s grasp and shook her head. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t…” She let out a breath, and looked down, “She doesn’t like me, not like that. She told me that it’s not that she is not interested, but… I mean, you should see the way her and Batwoman interact.”

“Well, from what you told me she’s her ex so it’s only natural that they still have some sort of connection,” Kara tried to reason, reaching out with her left hand to take one remaining potsticker from the box of takeout.

“You don’t understand, Kara,” Alex said, “I mean, how could I ever compete with someone like Batwoman?”

“Alex…” Kara told her, annoyed, “It’s not a competition.”

“No, really, before Batwoman came into the picture I thought I had a chance, even if small, but now…” Alex explained.

“What?!” Kara asked, “Are you listening to yourself? You’ve been avoiding Maggie for the past week, how can you say that you know how she feels?”

Alex sighed, “I’m… It’s complicated.”

“I’m sorry but have you seen the way she looks at you!?” Kara asked, “She is _so_ into you.”

“Kara,” Alex said, closing her eyes.

Kara stood up, “No, let me explain.”

Alex looked at her. Kara sat down by the couch in front of Alex. She took her sister’s hands in hers and let out a breath, “Stop making up excuses. You only see what you want to see. Who cares if she and Batwoman are flirting or whatever! Where was Maggie when I was injured?”

“She was with me.” Alex replied with a small voice.

“Exactly. She was there by your side.” Kara reasoned, “And I’m pretty sure, from what I’ve seen, that she likes you back. So, please stop making up excuses and just give the poor woman a chance.”

Alex pursed her lips, “I’ll think about it.”

Kara rolled her eyes, “You do know that I can actually throw you into space, right?!” She said threateningly.

Alex gasped dramatically, “You would never!”

“Oh, believe me I would. You’re so stubborn sometimes I might just do it!” Kara smirked and started tickling her older sister.

They both started screaming and laughing, Alex trying to avoid Kara’s attacks, just like when they were kids.

After a bit Kara stopped the tickle fight and Alex hugged her tightly.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Alex whispered.

“Me too, Alex,” Kara said, “Me too.”

*

A few days later Alex was alone at the D.E.O. running some tests in the main lab when a knock on the door interrupted her activities.

“Come in.” She said, absentmindedly.

She turned to see who it was and was about to ask them to bring her some coffee when she saw Maggie Sawyer. The detective sent a tentative smile her way and closed the door behind her.

“Danvers.”

“Sawyer.”

Maggie regarded her as Alex took off her glasses and massaged her eyes. She looked annoyed but yet as beautiful as ever. She was wearing her D.E.O. uniform with a long white lab coat.

“Everything okay?” the detective asked, tilting her head and nudging her chin towards Alex.

Alex shrugged, “Yes. I just need a cup of coffee, or 10. What’s up?” She threw a quick glance at the detective and then turned to type something on the keyboard.

“I need to talk to you,” Maggie started, tentatively.

“About what?” Alex asked, turning her full attention to the detective. She quickly scanned her outfit and noticed that she was wearing her usual black skinny jeans and a gray shirt. Her badge looking as shiny as ever under the lab’s lights.

“I think Batwoman is planning something and I need you to tell Supergirl to keep an extra eye on her.” Maggie explained.

Alex tried really hard to not show her annoyance at the mention of the vigilante. Of course Maggie had to ask her about Batwoman.

“What makes you say this?” She inquired.

“Well, I know her,” Maggie said, “I know she’s hiding something from me, and I’m pretty sure she’s using the D.E.O.’s resources to plan some sort of solo mission against Cadmus.”

Alex bit her lips nervously, nodding.

“We can’t let her do that, Alex.” Maggie said, concern written all over her face.

“I'll ask Supergirl to keep an eye on her.” Alex said.

“Thank you.” Maggie smiled weakly.

“Anything else? I really need to get back to this…” Alex said, indifferently.

After hearing Alex’s detached tone, the dark-haired woman tried to stop her surprise from showing on her face. Alex saw a flicker of hurt flashing in Maggie’s eyes but the detective was obviously a pro at this and her face became a mask of impassiveness. Nonetheless, Alex knew that her tone had somehow hurt the detective. And she felt terrible about it.

“No, nothing else. Have a nice day.” The detective replied slowly before nodding at the agent and leaving the lab.

Alex sighed, she took her head in her hands and closed her eyes. A  part of her was wishing she could talk to Maggie about her feelings. Trying to regain her composure she shook her head and sent a quick message to her sister.

**_Need to talk to you. Come ASAP._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos! This was just a quick chapter for now, we're gonna post chapter 10 during the weekend! We'd love to hear your thoughts on our story. We realised it's very much a slow burn, but don't worry, be patient 'cause you're gonna love the next one! ;)


	10. Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex's quiet evening is interrupted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Here's the chapter we promised. Enjoy!

Later that evening, Alex was sitting down at her kitchen counter, a half-empty glass of scotch in her hand as she read through the latest D.E.O. report. Although she knew that she should really concentrate, the thought of a certain dark-haired NCPD detective kept distracting her. The agent quickly downed the remaining of the amber liquid in her glass and poured herself some more.

Alex had just turned the second page and was about to start a new one when someone knocked on her door.

She instinctively reached for her gun and went to check who it was through the peephole.

It was Maggie.

“Great…” Alex muttered to herself.

The agent slowly walked back at the counter, placed the gun down, and emptied her glass of scotch. Maggie knocked again.

Alex sighed and went to open.

The detective was standing there, an unreadable expression on her face.

“Sawyer. Why are you-...?”

Alex stopped talking as Maggie took a step closer, locking her eyes with Alex’s. Alex stood there mesmerised by the other woman’s penetrating gaze. Her heart was beating so fast. She felt like she couldn’t move.

 _Must be the alcohol_ , Alex thought.

Maggie could see the question dying on Alex’s lips. The agent was about to rephrase it when Maggie’s face inched dangerously close to hers, their breaths mingling.

“Wha-...”

Maggie softly spun Alex around in one swift move, effectively pinning her against the now closed door. The dark-haired detective kissed her gently on the lips, grasping her face with both hands. Alex couldn’t believe this was actually happening. She couldn’t even respond to the kiss, she was too overwhelmed by the feeling of Maggie’s soft lips against hers, by her smell, by her taste.

Alex’s body tensed. Maggie noticed and pulled away.

 _Shit, I scared her_. Maggie thought to herself.

“I’m sorry, I… Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea,” the detective muttered as she took a step back from Alex’s body, “I-I really don’t know what came over me, Alex, um, please forgive me.”

Alex was still too shocked to realise what had just happened and when she focused her eyes back on Maggie, she noticed that the other woman was gone.

“Maggie! Wait!” Alex ran out of her apartment, towards the detective, who had reached the end of the corridor and was shaking her head at herself.

“Maggie, please!” Alex told her, “Don’t go…”

Maggie turned to her, “This is so embarrassing,” She looked down, as Alex stepped closer, “I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time but I shouldn’t have...”

Despite her insecurities, Alex could feel her heart burst with happiness at hearing those words coming out of the other woman’s mouth. She took Maggie’s hand in hers and smiled at her weakly, “Come on, let’s go.”

Maggie let Alex drag her back into the apartment, dumbfounded; the agent locked the door and pulled Maggie along with her. They sat on the couch.

“I thought you didn’t like me,” Alex said, looking down at their entwined hands.

Maggie rolled her eyes but squeezed the agent’s hand, “I never said that.”

Alex smiled shyly, feeling her heartbeat get louder in her ears, “You…You kissed me.” She pointed her finger at Maggie.

Maggie sighed, “And I'm sorry about that.”

Alex closed the distance between their faces, shaking her head and looked deeply into Maggie’s warm brown eyes, “Please don’t ever apologise for kissing me, Sawyer.”

“I…”, Maggie gasped as Alex gave her a little push and straddled her lap, placing her hands on either side of Maggie’s face, tentatively inching closer to her. Maggie closed her eyes and welcomed Alex’s kiss, which started out shyly but then became bolder. Maggie took the agent’s bottom lip between her lips, biting down gently, nibbling the soft flesh. They both moaned. Alex used her hands to push Maggie further into the couch, adjusting her position on top of the detective.

 _Oh, Fuck it,_ Alex thought.

Maggie groaned as Alex’s tongue tentatively slid into her mouth and started caressing hers. The dark-haired detective moved her hands along Alex’s back, pulling the agent’s body impossibly closer to hers. Alex had never felt anything like this before, which yes it sounded very much like a stupid cliché but it was also the truth. She didn’t know what had come over her, she just knew that kissing Maggie was amazing. Maggie's perfume was intoxicating, her lips were so fucking soft and... feeling the detective's body beneath hers was making her head spin.

The dark-haired woman felt Alex shiver on top of her, and after placing some quick kisses on Alex’s soft lips she pulled away.

Alex’s eyes were still shut, an expression of pure bliss lighting up her face. Maggie nuzzled her neck, her breath hot against Alex’s skin.

“You okay there, Danvers?” Maggie whispered.

Alex chuckled, nervously, “Why wouldn’t I be, Sawyer?”

Maggie looked amusedly into Alex’s expressive hazel eyes. She shrugged, “Just making sure that…”, a veil of insecurity resurfaced from her voice.

“That this is what I want?” asked Alex with a soft-spoken voice.

Maggie nodded.

“It is. I want this.” The D.E.O. agent whispered, firmly, never breaking eye contact, “...You.”

The dark-haired detective grinned, her dimples on full display. Once again, in one swift motion Maggie reversed their position so that she was now straddling Alex’s lap.

“How-how did you do that?” Alex gulped, looking up at the gorgeous detective.

Maggie chuckled, gently caressing the agent’s forearms with her hands, “You mean how did I flip and straddle a strong, badass D.E.O. agent?”

“Well, yes,” she replied as she relished the feeling of Maggie’s weight on top of her.

Maggie smirked, her eyes sparkling, and kissed Alex again.

“I’m stronger than I look, Danvers,” the detective said breathily when they parted.

Alex hummed, “Or maybe you’re just using my weak spots to your advantage.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, agent Danvers.” Maggie said, feigning innocence.

Alex placed her hands on Maggie’s hips, “I think you know, Sawyer.”

Maggie shrugged, “I think you should find out by yourself…”

Alex snorted and pulled the smaller woman to her, kissing her again.

They were interrupted by their phones going off at the same time.

Maggie groaned and pulled away, touching Alex’s forehead with hers, “I think we should get that…”

Alex sighed and nodded, “Yes, it could be another dead alien.”

Maggie got off from Alex’s lap and checked her phone as Alex got up to do the same.

“It’s the D.E.O.” Maggie said, reading the text.

“Yes,” Alex said, looking up from her own device, “We have to go.”

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and support. Have a great weekend!


	11. When Shit Hits the Fan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex and Maggie go to the DEO to assess the situation but are in for more than they expected.

As if with a practiced fluidity Alex and Maggie charged through the DEO entrance and approached the command centre where J’onn and Kara had already convened.

“What’s going on?” Alex inquired from J’onn, looking suspiciously between him and Kara.

The Martian Manhunter directed his attention to Maggie, locking eyes with her and responding to Alex’s question as though the NCPD detective had asked it.

“We received communication from Oracle about 10 minutes ago, Kate’s distress signal had been activated. We believe she’s in some kind of trouble.”

“She must be, or she would never engage that thing,” Maggie replied, mentally sorting through all the possible underground bodies in National City that Kate could have potentially gotten tangled up with now.

“Wait, who’s Kate? And what is this Oracle?” Alex interrupted, unable to allay her mounting curiosity at J’onn’s unusual behaviour, the growing concern etched on Maggie’s face and cryptic conversation that had just passed between them.

Maggie nodded imperceptibly to J’onn as if giving some kind of silent permission before he proceeded to bring the Danvers sisters up to speed. He turned to Alex and Kara and motioned for them to follow him. They entered an empty room and J’onn began to explain.

“Agent Danvers, Supergirl, as usual, the information I am about to share with the two of you is highly classified and I trust as always, that you would treat it with utmost confidentiality. Kate Kane, the woman who is missing, is the vigilante you’ve both met already as Batwoman. Oracle has one of the most brilliant minds I’ve ever encountered. She offers her services in providing Kate with critical intel for completing her missions. Her last communication with the vigilante was about 15 minutes ago, when all comm lines were cut off and the distress signal engaged. As of then, she has be unsuccessful in contacting Batwoman. Wherever she is, there seems to be some kind of of scrambling device engaged, preventing us from getting a GPS location. Agent Schott is on it right now trying to break past that.” The director turned to address Maggie once again, “Agent Danvers told me you had a suspicion that Batwoman would go after Cadmus, did she say anything in particular about what she was planning to you?”

The detective paused to think for a moment, sighing heavily before responding to his question. “Kate has never been one to share her plans with anyone. She’s more of an ‘act now, ask questions later’ kinda person, so no, I don’t know what crazy plan she had, but I’ll see what I can find out.”

Maggie stepped away from the room, into the nearby corridor and pulled out her phone to call up her old friend. It rang once before being picked up.

“I had a feeling you’d call. I’m guessing Director Henshaw just briefed you?” the voice responded.

“Hey Barb, it’s nice to hear you after so long,” Maggie said, “Henshaw just told us. Listen, did Kate tell you anything about what she was planning? Anything you can tell us from the information she might have been requesting from you lately?”

“You know how cryptic she can be Mags, she’s a difficult one to read, even for me. She did mention aliens being murdered in National City but nothing more. I’m working on getting past the signal blockers so that we can get a location on her. I’m sorry, I can’t be of more help, Maggie.”

“It’s okay. Winn’s working on the signal as well. Hopefully we’ll get a breakthrough soon. Thanks Barb, I’ll let you know if we find out anything.” With that, she ended the call and moved to regroup with the others, who were now back in the command room.

There seemed to be a flurry of activity as Alex was being handed various pieces of armor and weaponry that she was deftly strapping onto her body.

“What’s going on?” Maggie asked.

“Get suited up,” she instructed, tossing Maggie a bulletproof vest, “Winn broke the scrambler, he got a loc on Batwoman, but we have to move now.”

“Alex, listen to me,” Kara interjected, “you can’t come, not without a backup team,” She was standing in front of Alex, hands on her hips. Maggie looked curiously between the Danvers sisters, “This is Cadmus not some stupid alien-going-rogue situation.”

“There’s no time, Kara.” Alex replied, firmly, “remember what happened last time we tracked down one of Cadmus’s facilities? It was cleaned out in a matter of minutes. We have to go now. Besides, you and J’onn will be with us.”

“Of course we will.” Kara said.

“Then, I don’t see what’s your problem here, _Supergirl_ ,” Alex said, turning to assess the situation on the monitors.

Kara followed her, “I still think you and detective Sawyer should stay here and let us check out the place first.” Kara told her, in a huff.

Alex shook her head, locking her hazel eyes on her sister’s blue ones, “Kara, listen to me, they might have some alien weaponry ready for you and J’onn. I don’t want anything else happening to you two.”

Kara sighed and nodded.

“We’ll meet you there, then.” She said, looking between Alex and Maggie. Somehow she could feel that something had changed between her sister and the dark-haired detective.

“Be careful.” She told them before turning to go and find J’onn.

With a firm resolve, Alex checked over her and Maggie’s gear once more to make sure everything was fastened properly before leaving. She motioned Maggie to follow her and they reached the armory.

Alex handed Maggie a gun, “Here, you use this, okay?”

“Oh. Is this one of your fancy alien guns?” Maggie asked, amusedly.

“Yep. It works like a regular gun,” Alex said.

“Wow.” Maggie commented, looking at Alex and then at the special gun, “I thought you had to have a special training to use this.”

The D.E.O agent shrugged, “Officially, yes, but we don’t have much time, Sawyer,” Alex smirked, “let’s go.”

“Okay, thanks,” Maggie nodded and followed her out the door.

“You okay?” Alex asked the detective an instant later, as they were walking down the corridor towards the garage, where Alex had parked her Ducati.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Maggie said.

“Hey, we’ll find Batwoman,” Alex said, placing a comforting hand on the detective’s shoulder.

“I know,” Maggie said, looking down, “I just hope she’s going to want us to find her.”

Alex noticed the other woman’s worried expression so she placed her hand under Maggie’s chin and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, “We will.”

“Come on, let’s go,” the agent told her.

Alex hopped onto her Ducati with Maggie.

The Martian Manhunter and Supergirl took to the sky immediately as they saw Alex’s bike speeding off into the night.

*

J’onn and Kara were already at the location as Alex’s bike came to a stop not too distant from them.

The agent turned off the engine and she and Maggie hopped off.

The women quickly drew their respective guns.

“We’ve already checked the perimeter. Everything is clear.” J’onn informed them.

“They must have some dangerous tech monitoring this place if they don’t even have some guards around the perimeter.” Maggie commented.

“They have a security system, and there are five human guards inside,” Supergirl told them, after using her superpowers to check inside.

“What about the non-humans?” Maggie muttered.

“Let’s take those bastards down.” Alex said, “Winn, do you read me?” she added, talking to the agent.

“Loud and clear, Agent Danvers.” Winn said, “I have a partial visual of the facility. I will inform you when I get more info.”

“Roger that.” J’onn said using his ear-device.

Supergirl nodded and the group prepared to enter from the back of the dark facility. They walked inside, Kara first, then Alex, Maggie, and J’onn at last.

“Is it me or this seems way too easy?” Maggie whispered, looking around at the place.

“No, it’s not only you, Detective.” J’onn replied, slowly.

Kara came into an halt, “They know we’re inside.” She told the others.

“Get in place,” Alex ordered.

As they predicted - thanks to Kara’s super hearing - three Cadmus guards came out of nowhere and started firing shots at them; but Kara and J’onn were, well, aliens, so in a matter of minutes the guards were down.

“And here I was all happy, hoping I could try this baby.” Maggie commented, motioning to the laser gun.

Alex rolled her eyes at her, trying to contain her smile, “Come on, let’s go.” They resumed their walk.

Alex knew deep down that letting Maggie come along hadn’t been one of her best decisions. This wasn’t because she thought the detective couldn’t look after herself, not at all. She knew Maggie was an excellent detective and extremely skilled with guns. It’s just that Alex was afraid that she would get hurt, and she couldn't let that happen, especially not after what happened between them at her apartment.

Suddenly, Kara stilled her movements.

They could all hear sounds of fighting in the distance.

“Alex, Maggie. You stay behind.” J’onn ordered.

“There are more guards.” Supergirl informed, “They are coming our way.”

“We’ll take care of them,” Alex said and Maggie nodded. “Just go.” The agent ordered.

As J’onn and Supergirl left to check on the commotion, Alex and Maggie waited in the dark. When the two guards arrived the women fired shots at them and the men fell down, unconscious.

Maggie nodded at Alex and followed her silently. Alex had a bad feeling about all of this but she tried to keep her focus on the mission.

“Winn, do you copy?” Alex whispered.

“Yes, agent Danvers. What do you need?” Winn said.

“Send backup. Now.” The agent ordered.

“Done. They’ll be there in 15-20 minutes max,” Winn said.

Maggie looked worriedly at Alex.

“Let’s go and see what’s this all about,” Alex whispered.

Alex and Maggie ran towards the noises and stopped behind a shelf to assess the situation.

“What the hell…?” Maggie whispered.

Alex nodded, speechless.

J’onn, Supergirl and Batwoman were fighting against a huge and ugly-looking alien, who was easily blocking their fast blows, and predicting their movements.

“She’s hurt…” Maggie said, looking at Kate.

“Yes,” Alex replied, “but we need to think this through or this could end badly.”

“What about distracting him?” Maggie suggested, “We can use the guns.”

“True.” Alex said, turning to look at the detective, “Just promise me you’ll get Batwoman and get out of here.”

“Can’t promise you that, Danvers.” Maggie told her, shaking her head. “You’re crazy if you think I’m gonna leave you here alone with Frankie.” She added gesturing at the alien.

“But-...”

J’onn’s piercing scream got their attention, his body was flung to the other side of the room and fell on the floor with a thud.

“Fuck…” Alex whispered, “On the count of three we shoot the bastard, okay?”

Maggie nodded. They pointed their guns to the alien.

“Aim at his right leg…” Alex said.

“Yes, it seems to be his weaker spot.” Maggie nodded.

“One, two, three!” Alex exclaimed.

A flash of blue light brightened the room and hit the alien directly on his leg. The creature let out a deafening shriek and fell downward. Maggie nodded at Alex and they both run, the detective towards Batwoman and Supergirl, and Alex towards J’onn, who was still on the floor even though he was still conscious.

“Are you alright?” Supergirl asked, taking Batwoman’s hand and helping her up, just as Maggie approached them. She went closer to Kate and helped her up.

“I’ve been better.” Batwoman said, resting her weight against her ex.

“Your mask…” Maggie told her.

Batwoman shrugged and touched it, it was broken, “It’s not like it never happened before.”

Alex helped J’onn up and then approached the three women.

Batwoman nodded at her, “Danvers.”

“Anything you’d like to share with us?” Alex asked her, without missing a beat.

“Yes. What exactly happened to you, Batwoman?” J’onn inquired, holding his injured hand.

Batwoman sighed, “Look, there’s no time to explain everything. They are coming. From what I’ve seen they are using a device to control the beast. The laser gun must have done something to it.” She said, “We need to find the device and destroy it.”

“And then we need to get out of here.” Supergirl added, looking around.

“I’m afraid you can’t do that, _Supergirl_.”

They all turned towards the voice. A woman dressed in black, with piercing blue eyes, and dark blonde hair smiled sardonically at them.

“You…” Kara whispered.

“Who are you?” Alex inquired.

Kara shook her head. She’d seen this woman before, in Lena’s office. She...

“I’m Lillian Luthor.”

“You’re-…” Kara whispered.

“I’m Lex and Lena’s mother, yes,” the woman rolled her eyes, approaching them, “By the way, I never really thanked you, Supergirl.”

“Why would you want to thank me?” Kara asked, coming to stand in front of the others.

“Well, it’s because of you that we could create this…” Lillian pulled out a control device, “And  develop our new tech. Remember when my associates attacked you?”

“That’s the device you use to control the beast, isn’t it?” Batwoman asked but Lillian ignored her.

“Not only those guns knocked you out for a few days, but they also absorbed some of your kryptonian strength,” Lillian continued, smiling at Kara.

Kara tightened her fists.

Lillian nodded, “This particular device was for my own protection, you know,” she said, shrugging, “you never know who you might encounter these days.”

Lillian laughed again.

Alex pointed her gun at the woman.

Lillian Luthor studied Alex with interest, ignoring Kara and the others. “Ah! it’s so good to finally meet you, Agent Danvers.”

“How do you know her name?!” Kara said.

“Relax, _Supergirl_.” Lillian said, “By the way, before we move onto more pressing matters, I’d really like to understand your relationship with my daughter.”

“I’m a friend of Lena’s.” Kara said, “I hope you know she’s going to hate you when she finds out you’re behind Cadmus.”

Lillian laughed even harder.

“She already hates me.” Lillian said, pressing down on the device.

“Get down!” Alex shouted to Maggie and Batwoman, running towards them to help.

The alien started roaring again and began shooting fire at them from one of his limbs. J’onn and Supergirl attacked him and tried to contain him, but Alex started running after Lillian Luthor.

“We need to stop her,” Batwoman gasped as she and Maggie followed Alex, through a corridor, “We need to destroy the device.” They had reached a huge garage.

Lillian’s hurried footsteps came to a halt as she saw a black van driving towards her. She smiled at the three women.

“You really think you can kill me?” Lillian asked, looking at Alex.

“Give me the device or I’ll shoot you,” Alex ordered, “I’m not afraid to kill you.”

Kate raised her eyebrow at the agent’s tone. She wasn’t joking. Maggie had drew her gun too.

The black van came to a stop, distant from them. A man came out of the passenger side and ran towards them. Maggie noticed him and pointed her laser gun at him. Batwoman placed her hand on her gun too but didn’t move.

“Don’t move!”

The man raised his hands and smiled, “Lower your gun, Detective. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Hearing that voice, Alex felt the blood drain from her face. She slowly turned towards him.

“Dad…?” Alex whispered, lowering her gun.

“Alex, what...?” Maggie asked the agent.

“L-lower your gun, Maggie,” Alex ordered, without even looking at her.

“Alex-...”

“I said, lower your gun!” Alex said, gravely.

Alex was shocked. How could it be? Her long-lost father, Jeremiah Danvers, was in front of her, alive and healthy. Sure, he looked a bit older than she remembered, but it was still him. Wasn’t it?

“Hello, Alex.” Jeremiah said, smiling weakly, “You… You look beautiful.”

“You can’t be here…”, Alex whispered, “You’re dead. You’re not real. You must be a-a cyborg or some other Cadmus experiment.”

Jeremiah sent her a sad look, “I wish we had met under different circumstances, Alex,” he said cryptically.

“What do you mean?” Alex whispered, feeling a pang on her heart.

“Dr. Danvers is here to pick me up,” Lillian interjected, pleased at herself, “our time here has come to an end. Goodbye. And good luck.”

Lillian Luthor entered the car.

“Why are you doing this, dad?” Alex cried. She hadn’t stopped staring at her father.

“Things change, Alex.” Jeremiah said, “I’ve made my choices. For you and your sister.”

Tears started silently trickling down Alex’s cheeks.

Jeremiah approached Alex, and then turned to Maggie, “You can lower your weapon, Detective.”

“Mags,” Kate warned her. The vigilante didn’t like this man. It was obvious he was using his daughter’s state to escape, “lower your gun.”

Maggie lowered her gun but remained alert in case Jeremiah were to attack.

Kara and J’onn landed close to them. Both aliens remained shocked at seeing Jeremiah there.

“Jeremiah?” Kara whispered, “Y-you’re here?”

“Kara,” he smiled and nodded at her, eyes glossy.

“What is going on?” J’onn asked, “Why can’t I read your mind?!”

“As I said, I wish we’d met under different circumstances.” Jeremiah repeated as he started to step back from them.

“What have they done to you, Agent Danvers?” J’onn called after him.

Jeremiah ignored J’onn. He looked at Kara and Alex, “I’m sorry, girls.”

Alex choked on a sob as she watched Jeremiah leave. She couldn’t even stand, the pain she was feeling was too much to bear. It made her legs give away. Kara and Maggie ran to her side, supporting her weight.

“Come on,” Maggie whispered.

Batwoman observed as Jeremiah pulled out what looked like another device and saw him as he activated.

“It’s a trap, J’onn, we need to leave.” Kate said, “Now!”

He nodded, taking Kate into his arms. Kara did the same with Maggie and Alex. Both aliens lifted off into the night sky. A bright light tore through the darkness as the facility they were just in exploded.


End file.
